/'/ 



T] 
c 




Class XJ s l Ta ^ 

Book ■■• O d^li 

\8$o 



M9* 

MORNING AND EVENING 



MEDITATIONS 



FOR 

8***9 81*9 h * !!**# 

A NEW EDITION: 

PREPARED FOR POPULAR USE, 
WITH THE ADDITION OF PRAYERS, 



LONDO 

>T. HORSELL, ALDINE CHAMBF PATERNOSTER ROW. 

BRISTOL! EVANS AND ABBOTT. 

MANCHESTER: A, EF.7WOOD, 



1850, 
Price Two Shil 



ftV 



3* 



FIRST OFFERING 

OF 

LOVE AND GRATITUDE 

TO TH% 

MEMORY OF A REVERED FATHER. 



< 







Prxxted by 
P.P.Carpenter : Oberlin Press, Warrington. 



PREFACE. 



IT has been suggested by an eminent Christian that a text 
should be every morning selected, which may be carried in 
the thoughts through the day, serving for self-government 
and religious improvement, for excitement or restraint, in the 
various circumstances of life. By thus dwelling on a short 
passage of the sacred writings, a deeper and a fuller meaning 
will be discovered, which may have been lost without this 
close and serious consideration of it. "It might be a profit- 
able exercise, " says the late Rev. John Foster, " sometimes 
to try our faith in particulars. Go to any part of God's 
revelation, one and another, and say, f Here is something for 
my faith, i.e. for me to believe, and to be in right manner 
affected by. Has my faith ever been here ? Has this really 
been taken within its compass ? It is true I did not discredit 
or deny this, or this ; — but has it been to me what the Divine 
Spirit wrote it here for ? Has it been to me that instruction, 
impression, holy influence, for which it was designed ? ' " 

To assist in that private meditation on the Scriptures which 
will make them to the heart of each individual profitable for 
edification, strength and comfort, and which is the best pre- 
paration for secret prayer, this little volume has been compiled, 
and the Divine blessing is implored upon it. 

M. C. 



PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. 

The favourable manner in which this work has been received , 
both in this country and in America ( where it has been 
reprinted), has led to the desire that it should be presented 
in a form adapted for popular use. Whatever variations may- 
be found between this and the second Edition, have been 
made in accordance with the wishes of the Compiler. For 
the Prayers, however, the present Editor is alone responsible. 
He desires to express his thanks to the Rev. F. Howorth, of 
Bury, and to the family of the late respected Dr. Arnold, for 
the assistance they have rendered him : but he has not given 
the Authors 1 names in this part of the work, from a conviction 
that when addressing the Throne of Grace it ought not to be 
a consideration whose words we are uttering, but simply 
whether they express the feelings of the heart. 

Those who are not satisfied with the typography of this 
Volume, are requested to procure the Second Edition (Lon- 
don: Longman, Brown, # Co. 1847 ) ; which, for beauty of 
execution, we are sure will plea,se them. In the present 
instance, cheapness, and a consequent circulation among those 
of humbler means, have been the objects aimed at ; and no 
space has been wasted to produce effect. Those who are 
acquainted with the circumstances under which the Oberiin 
Press was established, ( as explained in The Helper for Jan. 
1 850,) will not expect great things. " The letter killeth, but 
the Spirit giveth life. " 



N.B. This work may be obtained, at the rate of 1 copies for 
105.6c?., or 14 copies for £1, from the Printer ; carriage free to 
London or Manchester. 



INDEX OF MEDITATIONS. 

TEXT AUTHOR PAGE 

Gen. xvi. 13. Thou, God,seest me Wellbeloved 52 

.. xxii. 14. In the mountain, Jehovah will provide . . Wellbeloved 12 

.. xJii. 36. All these things are against me Fair 125 

Jcb xiv. 1. Man is of few days and full of trouble. . . .Farr 60 

.. xxxv. 10. God giveth songs in the night W. James 9 

Psalm iv. 6. Who will shew us any good. Greenwood 127 

xviii. 1. 1 will love Thee, O Lord, my strength M. C. 86 

xix. 2. Day unto day uttereth speech. ...... .Tuckerman 6 

xxiii. 4. The valley of the shadow of death. .J. B. Estlin 89 
xlii. 11. Why art thou cast down, O my soul. .L. Carpenter 21 
Ixii. 1. Truly my soul waiteth upon God. . . .Brooks 25 

lxviii. 25. Man did eat angeVs food M. C. 92 

cvii. 7. And he led them forth by the right way M. C. 14 

cxxxi. 2. My soul is even as a weaned child Armstrong 120 
Is. xxvi. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose 

mind is stayed on Thee M. C, 24 

J er. xxxi. 18. Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned.. M. C. 64 

Lam. iii. 40. Let us search and try our ways Tuckerman 1 

Zech.vI. 12. The Branch shall I build the temple of the Lor d Watson 105 

Matt. v. 4. Blessed are they that mourn M. C. 17 

.. xix. 20. What lack I yet L. Carpenter 77 

MARKiv. 39, Peace, be still R. L. C. 95 

x. 50. Barlimceus rose and came to Jesus R. L. C. 67 

xi. 11. Jesus looked round about upon all things M. C. 130 

Luke vii. 50. Thy faith hath saved thee : go in peace . . R. L. C. 33 

.. x. 21. I thank Thee, O Father M. C. 122 

xxii. 42. Not my will, but Thine be done M. C. 138 

xxiv. 32. Did not our hearts burn within us. . . .R. L.C. 114 

.. ' .. 36. Jesus himself stood in the midst of them M, C. 4 

John iv. 14. He that drinketii of this water shall neverthirst J. Taylor 50 

..34. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me Scougal 30 

. . v. 22. The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son Ware 117 

.. xi. 12. Lord, if he; sleep he shall do well P. P. C. 141 



VI. INDEX OF MEDITATIONS 

IoH?Jxi.28. The Blaster io come, and callethfor thee M. C. 98 

.. 36. Behold, how he loved him Iters. Bache 57 

nii. 7. Against the day of my burying hath she kept this M. C. 102 

xiii. 31. Now is the Son of Man glorified M. C. 135 

xiv. 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life Brooks 107 

xv. 5. Without me, ye can do nothing Greenwood 80 

xvi. 7. It is expedient for you that I go away R. L. C. 19 

xxi. 17. Lovest thou me R. L. C. 28 

Acts i. 9. A cloud received him out of their sight R. L. C. 147 

Bom. xii. 12. Continuing instant in prayer Tuckerman 83 

.. xiii. 10. Love is the fulfilling of the law M. C. 69 

I Cor. ii. 12. The Spirit which is from God P. P. C. 133 

II Cor. v. 7. We walk by faith, not by sight Greenwood 62 

Eph. ii, 19. Fellow citizens with the saints Marlineau 111 

Phil. iii. 13,1^. I count not myself to have apprehended Ware 145 

iv. 7. The peace of God which passeth all understanding Clianning 45 

I Thess. v. 17. Pray ivithout ceasing Tuckerman 42 

Hebr. xi. 34. Out of weakness were made strong M. C. 100 

xii. 2. Looking unto Jesus Zollikofer 72 

.. 9. The Father of Spirits M. C. 55 

I John v. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world Ware 47 

Rev. xiv. 3. And they sang a new song before the throne Watson 75 

xxi. 4. God shallwipe away all tears from th eir eyes Watson 36 

.. xxii. 1. A pure river of water of life M. C. 40 

Invitation to the Lord's Supper Jer. Taylor 150 

Meditation at the Lord's Supper M. C. 152 

after the Lord's Supper R. L. C. 154 

for Christmas Day Livermore 156 

for Good Friday (See alsopp. 135, 138.J M. C. 159 

for. Easter Sunday (See also pp. 4, 114J...M. C. 162 

for Ascension day (See also p. 147. ) M. C. 165 

on the Saviour's Promise M. C. 168 

in case of Severe Illness Farr 172 

after Recovery from Sickness Farr 175 

in case of Death P. P. C. 177 

for the Last Day in the Year (See also p. 145 J Ware 180 



INDEX OF POETRY. 

Abraham heard; believing God .. .. B. Barton 13 

According to thy gracious word .. .. Montgomery lo% 

A charge to keep I have.. .. .. Wesley 146 

And is he with thee ? question well thy heait . . L. Sanford 170 

Behold the gospel mercy seat . . . . L. Carpenter 34 

Blest be Thy presence Lord ! while lowly bending . . 31, C. 183 

Bound upon the accursed tree . . . . Milman 160 

Christ, the Lord, is risen today . . . . . . Wesley 163 

Come let us join our friends above.. .. Wesley 20 

Come ye who mourn, and dry your tears. . . . Wallace 18 

Descend, my Spirit, rest in humble peace . . 31. C. 41 

Descend to Thy Jerusalem, O Lord . . . . Jer .Taylor 105 

Father, how shall we adore Thee . . . . M. C. 109 

Father, this gentle chastisement . . . . Ware 176 

Fear was within the tossing bark .. .. Hemans S3 

Fountain of life and living breath . . . . Quarles 51 

From the recesses of a lowly spirit .. .. Bowriiig 66 

From the table now retiring .. .. .. J.Roice 155 

Give to the winds thy fears . . . . . . Gerhardt 63 

God, my strength, to thee I pray . . . . 3Ierrick 27 

Go to dark Gethsemane .. .. .. 3Iontgc7nerylSl 

Go when the morning shineth . . . . . . Anon, 7 

Hallelujah! best and sweetest .. .. Breviary 113 

Hath not thy heart within thee burned . . . . Bulfinch 115 

Hear, O ye dead ? awake, arise . . . . H. 3Ioore 118 

He knelt, the Saviour knelt and prayed.. .. Hemans 74 

How sweet the words, and how benignly spoken Boivring S2 

I asked the Lord that I might grow . . . . Newton 15 

If love, the noblest, purest, best .. .. E. Taylor 137 

I'm but a stranger here ; heaven is my home .. Anon. 129 

Interval of grateful shade . . . . . . . Doddridge 143 

I say not ' Shield me, Father, from distress' . . Boicring 126 

Is there a lone and dreary hour . . . . New York Col. 56 

t would not live always ; I ask not to stay • • TVeslsy 61 

Lord of the sabbath ! hear our vows . . Doddridge 3 

Lord ! we sit and cry to Thee . . . . . . 3Iilman 68 



Vlll. ITTDEX OF POETRY 

My God, my Father, while I stray 

My God, Thy boundless love 5 praise . . 

My Spirit sighs to leave this vale of nigjit 

Night is the time for rest.. 

O Christian, to thy vows ba true 

O God, my strength, my hope 

O hand of bounty, largely spread 

Oh for the winged Seraph'c power £c soar . . 

Oh here if ever, God of love 

Oh why cast down, my soul 

O Lord, Thy heavenly grace impart 

O lovely voices of the sky 

On the first Christian sabbath eve 

O Thou to whose all searching sight 

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire 

Quiet, Lord, my froward heart 

See how he loved, exclaimed the Jew®.. 

See our risen Lord ascending 

See the grateful sister bending. . 

Sing, Christian, sing, for you alose. . 

Sinner, the Master is come 

Softly I slumbered on my peaceful cmich 

Sorrow and darkness fled away 

Speak with us, Lord, Thyself reveal 

The curtains of the morn were slow upraised . 

Thee will I love, my strength, my tower 

The hour must come, the closest ties.. 

The morning dawned, but no bright glorious sun 

There is a calm the poor in spirit know. . 

The year hath past away 

Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore 

Though sorrows rise, and dangers roll 

Thou hidden love of God, whose height. . 

Thou who didst stoop below 

To prayer, to prayer, for the morning breaks 

When sorrow sinks my spirit down. . 

With pains and anxious cares and griefs opprest. 



Anon. 


139 


H. TJoore 


123 


. M. C. 


184 


Montgomery 10 


• J. B. Estlin 


i 91 


Wesley 


31 


Hebev 


93 


Tuckerman 


38 


. E. Taylor 


151 


Tuckerman 


22 


Oberlin 


101 


Hemans 


157 


Montgomery 5 


Moravian 


79 


Montgomery 43 


Newton 


121 


Mrs. Bache 


58 


M. C. 


167 


. Bui finch 


104 


Mrs. Fuher 76 


.. M. C. 


99 


M. C, 


184 


. M. C. 


134 


Wesley 


53 


. M : C. 


183 


Wesley 


70 


. L.Carpenterl£8 


M. C. 


184 


. Anon. 


24 


Hutton 


181 


Thee Heber 


179 


Heber 


29 


Wesley 


88 


Anon. 


48 


Ware 


84 


Richardson 178 


Tuckerman 


46 



MORNING AND EVENING 

MEDITATIONS, 
&c. 



Hits* §||«&. 
SUNDAY MORNING. 

Lamentations hi. 40. — Let us search and try our ivay§» 

I HAVE finished the stage of another week in the journey 
of my life ! Where have I been within that week \ With 
whom have 1 communicated by conversation or by letter ? 
What have I done \ By what principles have I been guided 
in all my intercourse, in every transaction \ What has 
been the character, and what the tendency of my thoughts? 
Have I been kind in every disposition ; just in every feeling 
I have indulged, and in every judgment I have formed ; 
pure in every desire ; upright in every purpose ; true in 
every word, and faithful to my sense of my duty in every 
action ? O my Father, Thou knowest my heart, help me 
also to know it ! I would judge myself by that rule of 
duty to Thee, to my own soul, and to my fellow-beings, 
which Christ has given, and by which I am at last to be 
judged before Thee. When and where have I been faithful ? 
What have I neglected which I should have done! When, 
where, and how have 1 transgressed Thy commandments \ 

I have entered upon a new week. What may this week 
be to me \ What is before me even in the passing day \ How 
deep the darkness which hangs over even the passing hour ! 
And from whence and why is this darkness \ O Thou who 
art light, and dwellest in everlasting light, with Thee there 

B 



"2 FIRST WEEK 

is no uncertainty respecting either time or eternity. Where, 
then, Father, shall I look for direction, or for security, but 
to Thee \ I will walk, Father, I will live by the faith that 
Thou art, and that Thou art the rewarder of them that 
diligently seek Thee. I will make it my care every day, 
and in all things, to enjoy and to endure as seeing Thee 
who art invisible. Oh help me in all my ways to acknow- 
ledge Thee, and in all to endeavour faithfully to obey Thee, 
that Thou mayest direct my steps ! Eternal adoration and 
thanksgivings be given Thee for him, Thy holy Son Jesus, 
who died to redeem me and all from all iniquity, and to 
purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. 
Oh that from this hour, no sin might ever triumph in my 
heart, or have any dominion over me! Father, I would 
live by the faith, that it is better, infinitely better, to enter 
into Thine eternal kingdom, and to be an heir of the 
Christian's blessedness, at the cost of anv present self- 
restraint, self-denial, or self-sacrifice, in the cause of duty 
and Thy will, than to attain any attainable or conceivable 
good of earth and time, at the expense of the violation of 
even a single Christian principle. Whatever my hand or 
my heart shall find to do under the promptings of conscience, 
and the guidance of Thy will, I would do it with all my 
might. I would be zealous for spiritual growth ; for 
spiritual mindedness ; for the attainment of the spirit of 
Christ, — the mind that was in Christ. Like him, I would 
make it my meat and drink to do all Thy will, and to finish 
all the work Thou hast given me to do. In sympathy with 
Jesus, I would look upon every human being as my 
brother, — the child of our Heavenly Father ; and whatever 
I would, in any relation, condition, or transaction, that any 
one should do to me, that will I endeavour faithfully to do 
to him. With these purposes and prayers in my heart, I 
welcome and bless Thee for this day, sacred to my soul by 
its associations with him who died, and rose again, and 
brought life and immortality to perfect light. May all the 
exercises of this day strengthen me in the principles of my 
immortal well-being ! Thus may this day be made to me 
a preparation aod pledge of an eternal rest, an eternal day, 
with Thee and Christ, and the spirits of the just made 
perfect ; and Thine, Father, shall be the glory for ever ! 



SUNDAY MORNING O 

Lord of the sabbath ! hear our vows, 
On this Thy day, in this Thy house ; 
And own as grateful sacrifice. 
The songs which from Thy temple rise. 

Thine earthly sabbaths, Lord, we love ; 
But there's a nobler rest above ; 
To that our longing souls aspire, 
With ardent hope and strong desire. 

No more fatigue, no more distress, 
Nor sin, nor death, shall reach the place : 
N groans shall mingle with the songs 
Which warble from immortal tongues. 

No rude alarms of raging foes ; 
No cares to break the long repose ; 
No midnight shade, no clouded sun, 
But sacred, high, eternal noon. 

O long expected day, begin ! 
Dawn on these realms of pain, and sin ; 
With faith we'll tread the appointed road, 
And sleep in death, to rest with God. 

PRAYER. 

Our Father who art in heaven ! Once more Thou hast 
blessed us to see the light of a sabbath morning. One more 
week of toil, of strife, of joy, or of anxiety, one more week 
given for holy discipline, has closed upon us ; and Thou 
hast awakened us from sleep, with our powers renewed, and 
Thy mercies repeated unto us. Blessed be Thy name for this 
peaceful and holy change from cur accustomed duties ; and 
for the opportunities we may have, this day, of studying Thy 
word, of searching into Thy dealings, and of doing Thy will. 
How rich was Thy love in sending Thy Son Jesus, that all, 
that even we, might be saved. Truly, O Father, we have 
been dead in trespasses and sins. We cannot look back 
even on the past day and week without feeling how much 
has been wrong within us : and when we call to mind the 
length of time that we knewnot Thee, and cared not for Thee, 
our hearts are bowed clown with sorrow. But as Thou didst 
raise Jesus from the dead by Thy mighty power ; even so 
may we also walk in newness of life. May this sabbath 
be to us a day of rest from fierce temptations, a day of 
growth in the knowledge of Thee, a day of active zeal in 



4 FIRST WEEK 

Thy service. Bless to us all its scenes and duties ; bless the 
efforts of all who teach Thy word, and do the deeds of loving 
faith ; and draw us all closer together in the bonds of pure 
affection. May this day mark within us a stage of 
progress in the Christian life ; a stage of advancement in 
qualification for the Christian's heaven. Grant this, and 
whatever else Thcu seest needful for us, for all dear to us, 
and for Thy whole church, through our ever blessed Saviour 
and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 

Luke xxiv. 36. — Jesus himself stood in the midst of them 
and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you." 

YES ! there is indeed peace, when our Saviour is with 
us, — when he awakens in our souls a sense of the presence 
of our Heavenly Father ! 

But without him can there be peace \ Even if the stores of 
mind open to the fascinated understanding treasures un- 
bounded, and excite the imagination to its loftiest flights, 
can there be peace in the soul, if God is not there, — if the 
spirit of our Saviour is not with us? And can the most 
exquisite beauty and tranquility of Nature breathe peace 
into that soul which has excluded from itself, by sin, the 
peace of God ! 

Yet, if Jesus is with us, his presence alone gives peace. 
It bids us hope to be one with him, as he is with the Father ; 
it warns us to drive from the temple of our hearts all impure 
things, which may interfere with the worship of Him who 
is a Spirit ; when weary and heavy laden with the weight 
of sin — the burden of the flesh, it leaches us how to call 
upon Him who rejecteth not the prayer of the penitent, 
and will save unto the uttermost those that come unto 
Him with true purpose of heart ; it shows us how one, who 
was like unto us in all things, save without sin, overcame 
the world, by living after the power of an endless life ; it 
places before our eyes the brightness of the Father's glory, — 
a glory in which even we may be sharers. 



SUNDAY EVENING 5 

And this heavenly being calls us his brethren. We 
know that he was made like unto us in trials, temptations, 
and sorrows ; we trust that we may, like him, be made 
perfect through suffering. We pray that he may be with 

us to the end of our mortal lives ; and that we may begin an 
immortal one with him in the heavenly mansion, in the 
presence of his Father and our Father, of his God and our 
God. 

On the first christian Sabbath-eve, 

When his disciples met, 
O'er his lost fellowship to grieve, 

Nor knew the Scriptures yet ; 

Lo ! in their midst a form was seen, 

The form in which he died, 
Their Master's marred and w r ounded mien, 

His hands, his feet, his side. 

Then were they glad their Lord to know, 

And hailed him, yet with fear : 
Jesus ! again thy presence show ; 

Meet thy disciples here : 

Be in our midst ! let faith rejoice 

Our risen Lord to view, 
And make our spirits hear thy voice 

Say, — " Peace be unto you !" 

And while with thee, in social hours, 

We commune through thy word, 
May our hearts burn, and all our powers 

Confess, — " It is the Lord !" 

PRAYER. 

OUR Father! Thou art the author of peace, and lover 
of concord. In knowledge of Thee, standeth our eternal life. 
Thy service is perfect freedom. Thine be the praise for the 
mercies of this peaceful day. Thine he the praise, if Jesus 
has been m the midst of us, when we have been gathered 
together in Thy name. And in Thy name we would close 
our sabbath. How r sweet it is to lie down to rest, and to 
think that Thy watchful love attends us ! How soothing is 
the thought that nothing can come to us without thy appoint- 
ment ! Thou hast given us a day of holy thoughts and 
purposes : now give us, if it please Thee, a week of peaceful 



O FIRST WEEK 

and steady labour ; and fit us for it with refreshing slumber. 
Thou hast this day given us oil to feed our lamps : may we 
keep them burning brightly, with humble watchfulness. If 
we have been inattentive or careless this day ; if we have not 
made the most of its blessed hours ; lead us to a godly 
sorrow, and pardon us through Thy forgiving love in Christ. 
If its hours have been spent in holy comriunion and holy 
service, fix in our hearts the movings of Thy Spirit ; so tliat 
no curtain of darkness may ever fall upon our souls. And 
when the resting days and the working days of earth are 
over, may we keep a perpetual sabbath, with all we love, in 
the heaven of purity and peace and joy. We ask it through 
our beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



MONDAY MORNING. 

Psalm xix. 2. — Day unto day utter eth speech. 

WITH the eye and affections of one who not only knows 
but feels that a God of love and wisdom is the Creator of 
all, what beauty and order do we not every where behold ! 
How much do we not see to cherish the sentiment, that He 
is in all and over all, and to call for the offering of praise 
and prayer ! 

Does winter hold its triumphant reign, freezing the air, 
binding in its chains the springs and rivers, spreading its 
snows, staying the current of vegetable life, and compelling 
all that breathe to seek for shelter from its influence ? 
"Summer and winter, fire and hail, snow and vapour, and 
stormy winds fulfil Thy word." Do we see the animals at 
the stream quenching their thirst, or enjoying the abundant 
provision which is made for their support? "They are 
Thy care, O God, and their sustenance is from Thy liberal 
hand." Does the sun rise to enlighten and warm the e^rth, 
to give a season for labour, to gladden all that live by his 
cheering influences, and to give a new spring to the vegetable 
creation ? Do the clouds refresh the ground with their 
shade, and enrich it with their showers ? Do the moon 
and stars give a glory to the night, even greater than we 



MONDAY MORNING / 

see in the bright light of clay ? Does the return of darkness 
bring with it a time of rest, not less necessary than food 
for ourselves, and for all the creatures about us ? '' Thine, 
Father, are the darkness and the light, the sun and the 
stars, the clouds and the rain.*' Yes, every drop in the 
vast ocean ; every particle of this globe on which we live : 
every creature, and every thing we behold, is God's : for 
He made them, and by Him they are every moment preserved. 

Do we see evidences of wisdom in the law and courses 
of nature ? "Thine is the work, infinitely wise and 
eternal Mind!" Are we astonished at the displays of power 
which we behold? < ; Thy power, God, like Thy wisdom, 
is infinite." Do we every where behold a parental provi- 
dence ! "It is Thy goodness, O my Father; and I will 
bless Thee for Thy bounty to them that cannot thank Thee.'' 

Thus does every thing around us, the great and the 
minute, the wild and the cultivated, the delightful and the 
terrific, preach to us of God, and touch a string in the 
pious heart, which vibrates devotion. God is so associated 
with all these objects in the mind of a pious man, that 
wherever he may be, and whatever his employment, the 
sight of them recalls the thought of Gcd ; and with the 
thought, a correspondent emotion and affection, which is, 
to Him who sees the heart, fkr more acceptable than the 
most pompous and costly offermg. 



Go when the morning; shineth, 
Go wheB the moon is bright, 

Go when the day declineth, 
Go in the hush of night ; 

Go with pure mind and feeling, 
Fling earthly thoughts away, 

And, in thy chamber kneeling, 
. Do thou in secret pray . 

Remember all who love thee, 

All who are loved by thee ; 
Pray, too, for those that hate thee, 

If any such there be ; 
Then for thyself in meekness, 

A blessing humbly claim, 
And link with each peti ion, 

The great Redeemer's name. 



$ FIRST WEEK 

Or, if 'tis e'er denied thee 

In solitude to pray ; 
Should holy thoughts come o'er thee 

When friends are on thy way ; 
E'en then the silent breathing 

Of thy spirit raised above, 
Will reach His throne of glory, 

Who is mercy, truth, and love. 

Oh ! not a joy or blessing 

With this can we compare, — 
The power that He hath given us, 

To pour our souls in prayer ! 
Whene'er thou pin'st in sadness, 

Before His footstool fall ; 
Remember in thy gladness 

His grace who gave them all. 

PRAYER. 

We will remember, O Father, Thy tender mercies and 
Thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old. 
They are renewed to us every morning : they are increased 
continually. We joyfully bless Thee for all the tokens of 
Thy love. We thank Thee for our renewed pewer to labour ; 
and for the glory Thou hast offered to us, of being fellow 
workers with Thee through the Lord Jesus. May we then 
do nothing but Thy work. However lowly our service, may 
we render it as to Thee and not to men. May we minister 
to each other's wants in every form of love ; and bear each 
other's burdens in every form of patience. May the remem- 
brance of the past sabbath hallow the scenes of the week, 
and help in overcoming its temptations. To Thee we would 
consecrate ourselves anew, now that it is opening on us. 
May its days be spent in cheerful toil, and its times of 
repose be hallowed by the consciousness of Thy loving 
presence. May our conversation be such as to adorn our 
Christian profession. May we be the means of edifying 
those with whom we meet. Help us, blessed Father, to show 
a firm integrity, a simple truthfulness, a holy purity, and an 
unwavering faith. May a sense of Thy extreme and un- 
merited goodness be a constant motive to us in our struggles. 
May Thy Spirit dwell within us, and inspire us with strength 
and love and wisdom. — Help all those who are striving after 
holiness : and be an especial support to such as are tempted 



MONDAY MORNING V 

and distressed. And when, by Thy grace, we have done and 
borne Thy will on earth, take us to our home, Father, 
and unite us again to those most dear ones, whose love Thou 
hast here given as our greatest treasure. And Thine be the 
fulness of our praise, through Jesus, cur holy Mediator. 

Amen. 



MONDAY EVENING. 

Job xxxv. 10.- — God, my Maker, who givelh songs in the 

night. 

YES ! the declaration is as true as it is beautiful, that God 5 
our Maker, giveth songs in the night. In the wakeful and 
weary hours, when no eye can witness the strife within, 
when no human voice can speak a word to steady the spirit 
in its wanderings and imaginings, He can impart peace and 
strength to His chil -Iren, and enable them to rejoice even 
in tribulation. With Him the right shineth as the day ; 
and in both seasons He is equally present to aid and comfort. 
And happy are they who, in their night-musings, are thus 
favoured. No instrument of human melody is half so 
soothing, or can so powerfully move the heart- strings and 
wake the notes of praise. We find many interesting and 
striking examples in Scripture, of the enjoyment of these 
songs in the night. Jacob was thus favoured ; and was 
enabled, as he raised his head from the stony pillow on 
which he slept, to say, "this is none other than the house of 
God, and the gate of heaven." David was similarly 
privileged. "I remembered Thee," he observes, addressing 
the Almighty, "upon my bed, and thought of Thee when I 
was waking !" "O my God," he again exclaims, "my soul 
is cast down within me ; therefore will I remember Thee ; 
deep calleth unto deep at the voice cf Thy waterspouts : all 
Thy waves and billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord 
will command His loving-kindness in the day-time, and in 
the night His song shall be with me." 

Our blessed Lord himself was no stranger to these songs 
in the night, which often refreshed and comforted him. 
In the night of Gethsem aire's agony he was thus favoured ; 



10 FIRST WEEK 

and amidst his unparalleled sorrow, celestial consolation was 
vouchsafed, and an angel strengthened him. We read, 
too, of Paul and Silas, that when they were thrust into the 
inner prison, at Philippi, for their boldness in preaching the 
Gospel, at midnight, strong in the blessed supports of their 
faith, they made their dungeon resound with the praises of 
God, and were compassed about with songs of joy and 
deliverance. 

Upon our night watchings also is the wakeful eye of 
Omniscience. We may thus commune with the Deity, and 
find comfort in the recollection that we are covered with 
the wing of His providence ; and that He is present as our 
upholder and guardian. "God, our Maker, giveth songs in 
the night." 

Night is the time for rest : 

Row sweet, when labours close, 
To gather round an aching breast 
The curtains of repose ; 
Stretch the tired limbs, and lay the head 
Upon our own delightful bed ! 

Night is the time for dreams, 

The gay romance of life ; 
The truth that is, and truth that seems, 
Mix in fantastic strife : 
Ah ! visions less beguiling far 
Than waking dreams of daylight are. 

Night is the time for toil ; 

To plough the classic field, 
Intent to tiud the buried spoil 
Its wealthy furrows yield ; 
Till all is ours that sages taught, 
That poets sang, and heroes wrought. 

Night is the time to weep ; 

To wet with unseen tears 
Those graves of memory, where sleep 
The joys of other years ; 
Hopes that were angeis at their birth, 
But died when young, like things of earth. 

Night is the time to watch 

O'er ocean's dark expanse, 
To hail the Pleiades, or catch 
The full moon's earliest glance, 
That brings into the home-sick mind 
All we have loved and left behind. 



MONDAY EVENING 11 

Night is the time for care ; 

Brooding o'er hours mispent, 
To see the spectre of despair 
Come to our lonely tent ; 
Like Brutus, midst his slumbering host, 
Summoned to die by Caesar's ghost, 

Night is the time to think ; 

When, from t! e eye, the soul 
Takes flight, and, on the utmost brink 
Of yonder starry pole, 
Discerns, beyond the abyss of night, 
The dawn of uncreated light. 

Night is the time to pray ; 
Our Saviour oft withdrew 

To desert mountains far away ; 
So will his followers do, — 
Steal from the throng to haunts untrod, 
And commune there alone with God. 

Night is the time for death : 

When all around is peace, 

Calmly to yield the parting breath, 

From sin and suffering cease, 

Think of Heaven's bliss, and give the sign 

To parting friends. — Such death be mine ! 

PRAYER. 

Thou, our heavenly Father, art drawing the veil of 
darkness over whatever is beautiful in Thy works, as w r ell as 
over whatever is corrupt in the workings of human passions. 
If we are fatigued with the day's labour, now Thou invitest 
us to repose. If we have been harassed with the day's 
tumult, now Thou givest us peace. If the business of the 
world has tempted us to forget Thee, now Thy still small 
voice speaks within us ; and we call to mind that Thou hast 
not forgotten us one moment of this day. but hast been 
guarding us continually from dangers seen and unseen. 
Father ! pity our weakness, and pardon our transgressions. 
In our feebleness, be Thou our strength. We are about to 
lay ourselves down on the helpless bed of slumber : but 
Thou art the source of every help. If it please Thee, refresh 
our bodies and our minds with rest. If we dream, may no 
unholy imaginations defile our souls. If we be watchful, 
let our thoughts be of Thy love. When all is hushed around 



12 FIRST WEEK 

us, may we search and try our ways. When the mortal 
senses are inactive, may our spirits more clearly discern Thy 
happy presence ; and thus be drawn closer to Thee, — -the 
home of our affections and our hopes. Into Thy hands we 
commit ourselves, and all we love ; through Jesus Christ, 
our Redeemer. Amen. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 

Genesis xxii. 14. — In the mountain Jehovah will provide. 

(SO TRANSLATED IN WELLBELOVED's BIBLE.) 

IT is hardly possible to conceive of a trial more severe than 
that by which the Divine Being proved His servant Abraham's 
faith, and closed that peculiar course of discipline, by which 
he had so long been exercised. Yet, strong in faith, he 
hesitated not to obey the severe injunction, "Take thy son, 
thy only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go unto the land 
of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon 
one of the mountains, of which I will tell thee." The event 
justified and rewarded his faith. In the mountain Jehovah 
did provide. 

These things have been treasured up, and handed down 
to us through the lapse of ages, for our example and en- 
couragement. Let us learn hence the duty and wisdom of 
obedience to the will of God, into whatever circumstances 
of apparent danger or of real distress it may lead us. It 
will require, no doubt, much care and caution to determine 
in every instance, what the will of God respecting us may 
be, and to avoid the illusions of fancy or enthusiasm ; but 
having, with becoming care and diligence, sought to know 
what God requires of us, whatever difficulties may oppose, 
whatever alarm may threaten, it will be incumbent on us 
to persevere in the way of duty opened by His providence 
before us ; assured that His power will in the end reward 
our exertions, and recompense the temporary losses we may 
sustain. Abraham believed in God ; and through a dark 
and perplexing scene, implicitly followed the command of 



TUESDAY MORNING 10 

God. Had lie any cause to repent ? Did He who imposed 
the trial fail to support and reward him ? Many since his 
days have, in the severest tribulation, adhered to the path 
of duty. We revere their piety ; we admire their fortitude ; 
we rejoice with them in their consolations and their reward. 
Let us go and do likewise. ci In the mountain Jehovah 
will provide." He will not leave nor forsake us : our 
strength shall he equal to our day ; light shall spring up 
out of darkness ; and, in God's own time, every trouble and 
perplexity shall be removed, and our recompense shall be 
exceedingly great and glorious. 

Abraham heard: believing God ? 
Duty's onward path he trod ; 
Trusting Him whose word could bless. 
Won the meed of faithfulness. 

Christian pilgrim, Zion-ward, 
True disciple of thy Lord ! 
May his spirit to thy heart 
Kindred faithfulness impart. 

Thou may'st hear a voice within ! 
Let that voice attention win ; 
Doubt not, fear not, trust its word 5 
Follow onto know the Lord. 

At His bidding sacrifice 
More than country's, kindred's ties ; 
These may still be spared to thee, — 
Let thy heart thy Master's be. 

Daily, hourly, labour there; 
Waiting, watching unto prayer; 
Wait to know thy Master's will: 
Watch and pray, and do it still. 

Faithful to the end endure ; 
Then thy calling shall be sure ; 
Then, whene'er thy Lord shall come, 
Death shall only lead thee home ! 

PRAYER. 

Almighty Father, who causest the sun to rise and shine, 
and makest the day, we Thy children hless Thee for preserving, 
us in peace and safety during the defenceless hours of sleep ; 
keeping us living in the land of the living ; and once more 

c 



14 FIRST WEEK 

awakening our powers of body and of mind for our various 
duties. — Accept, we beseech Thee, our morning incense of 
praise, and grant that, under a sense of Thy Fatherly 
goodness, we may this day render willing obedience to all 
Thy known commandments. — Give us strength equal to 
our day. Save us from falling into sin, and running into 
danger. Enable us to keep in innocence, and may integrity 
preserve us. And during this day and every day of our 
lives, may we have consciences void of offence towards Thee 
and towards man. — May Thy blessing rest upon this house- 
hold. May we be faithful and true, affectionate and kind, 
one to another, bearing one another's burdens, and so fulfilling 
the Saviour's law of love. Overlook our unworthiness, 
Father ; forgive the sins into which any of us may have fallen. 
Prepare us for all the measures of Thy wise providence. 
May we not desire prosperity unduly, nor fear adversity 
beyond measure : but, in all seasons and all changes, may 
we rely upon Thy grace and mercy, through faith in Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



TUESDAY EVENING. 

Psalm cvii. 7. — And He led them forth by the right way. 

MY Father ! may I ever humbly follow in Thy way ; may 
I ever trust, with the full assurance of faith, that it does 
lead to Thy heavenly kingdom ! 

It is often very narrow and perplexed, and I cannot see 
where it is leading me ; broad and easy paths turn out from 
it, and many tempt me to walk in them ; yet, though the 
guiding light of Thy holy word may be half obscured by 
the mists of the valley, if I fix my eye steadily upon it, it 
will become brighter and brighter ; 1 shall see my way 
clearly in this seemingly intricate road, and even discern at 
the end of it the entrance to Thy heavenly mansion. 

Sometimes, O my Father ! Thou dost take from us all 
our props and supports on the way ; we say in our hearts 
that there is none to help us. While we traveled happily 
together, we forgot that we were only strangers and pilgrims ; 



^ TUESDAY EVENING 15 

now Thou takest the beloved ones from us, that we may 
fly to Thee only for help ; we cry unto Thee from the depth 
of our sorrow, and Thou dost come Thyself with Thy beloved 
Son to make Thy abode with us. We thought that we 
should have fainted by the way, yet now we are even 
stronger than before. We go on our way rejoicing, and 
see that Thou didst lead us aright. 

But yet again, O my Father ! when I have been striving 
to find out Thy way, and to walk in it aright, I am some- 
times suddenly plunged into deep and stagnant marshes, from 
which I seem unable to extricate myself; or a fierce whirl- 
wind is around me, — I am tossed to and fro, — my senses 
are confused, and I know not whither to go : or a thiek 
gloom is on my soul ; the light that is in me is darkness ; 
I cry aloud, "Help, Lord, or I perish;" yet the whirlwind 
ceaseth not, — the darkness becometh still more fearful. O 
Father ! though I see Thee not in the storm of fearful 
passions, though I perceive not Thy hand guiding me in 
the thick darkness of my own soul, the storm cometh from 
Thee, and it is Thou who permittest the gloom to fall on 
me, that I may afterwards listen with more humble trust 
to the still small voice of Thy love ; that 1 may fix a more 
steady gaze on Thy own pure light. 

My Father! may I ever have this firm confidence, that 
Thou dost lead us by the r igkf way ! May nothing separate 
us from the love of Thee ! Then, whatever troubles encom- 
pass me from without or from within, my heart shall not 
fail, for it shall rest on the Rock of Ages. 

I asked the Lord that I might grow 

In faith and love, and every grace ; 
Might more of His salvation know, 

And seek more earnestly His face. 

' Twas He who taught me thus to pray, 
And He, I trust, hath answered prayer ; 

But it has been in such a way 
As almost drove me to despair. 

I thought that in some favoured hour, 

At once He'd answer my request, 
And, by His love's constraining power, 

Subdue my soul, and give me rest. 



16 FIRST WEEK 

Instead of this, He made me feel 

The hidden evils of my heart ; 
And made the angry powers of hell 

Assault my soul from every part. 

Nay more : with His own hand He seemed 

Intent to aggravate my woe ; 
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed ; 

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low. 

"Lord ! what is this I" I trembling cried ; 

a Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death ?" 
< 4 'Tis in this way," the Lord replied, 

"I answer prayers for grace and faith." 
ci These inward trials I employ, 

From seJf, from pride to set thee free ; 
And break thy schemes of earthly joy, 

That thou may'st find thy all in Me." 

PRAYER. 

Father of Spirits ! we acknowledge Thy gracious hand 
which hath brought us to the close of another day. — We 
bless Thee that Thou gatherest us into families for mutual 
support, comfort and improvement. May we rejoice one 
with another in the day of prosperity ; and, in the day of 
adversity and sorrow, may we lighten one another's burdens 
by mutual sympathy. In all the closer and more tender 
relations of life, may we be gentle, forbearing, kind-hearted, 
in honour preferring one another, and showing in every 
thing love unfeigned. — We commit ourselves to Thee, w r ho 
never sleepest, during the night that is coming ; laying 
ourselves down and sleeping in peace, under the persuasion 
that Thou art with us, to sustain, and bless us. May our 
slumbers be refreshing both to our bodies and our spirits ; 
and may we rise on the morrow to pursue with thankful 
and cheerful hearts the duties which Thy good providence 
hath appointed. — We beseech thee, good Father, to pardon 
our sins and to enable us truly to repent of them. Merci- 
fully accept every good desire within our souls, and ripen 
every holy purpose. May we grow in divine knowledge, 
and in every Christian grace, as we advance in our earthly 
pilgrimage. And when time shall be no longer, may we 
meet again with joy in Thy eternal habitations, promised 
by Jesus Christ our Lord ; through whom we ascribe to 
Thee, Gocl blessed for ever, the highest praise and glory. 

Amen. 



17 



WEDNESDAY MORNING, 

Matt. v. 4,— Blessed are they thai mourn, for they shall 
be comforted. 

DO not all mourn in this world of sin and misery ? The 
proud do not mourn, for they set self above sorrow for sin, 
or afflictions from without, The selfish do not mourn, for 
they only fret at what vexes or wounds their own narrow 
being. 

But there are many that mourn, — many that sorrow 
after a godly sort. There are those that humbly mourn 
under the chastening hand of a Father, who afflicteth not 
willingly His children ; — they shall be comforted. Their 
hearts will be weaned from a changing world, and indis- 
solubly bound to that which changeth not ; for where our 
treasure is, there will our hearts be also. And from those 
blissful abodes, rays will shine on their hearts ; a purer flame 
will be kindled within them ; they will see their Father's 
love in all ; the world around will glow with new beauty ; 
and they will be comforted ; — their souls are blessed. 

Others there are that mourn over evils caused by the 
sinfulness of man : — they will be led by them to purify 
themselves from all pollutions of the flesh, that they may 
help their brethren onward; and, turning their highest 
powers to this great object, they will, by degrees, see seeming 
evil still producing good in the hands of an infinitely wise 
and benevolent Being, and will justify the ways of God 
to men ; they will at last learn, in some measure, to see 
everything as God sees it ; they will perceive that all is 
very good ; — they will be comforted. 

But others mourn in greater depths of sorrow. They 
have within them the divine life ; yet they feel that it is 
no longer pure and without spot before God ; they sin so 
often, and after so many warnings, so many resolutions, 
that they hardly venture to believe that the spirit is truly 
willing. Yet this sorrow., almost overwhelming as it some- 



18 FIRST WEEK 

times is, may subdue the proud spirit ; — it may lead us to 
take the yoke of Christ upon us, and then he will give us 
rest; — it may help us to purify our souls by doing the 
will of God. Will not sorrow then be blest,, however 
grievous it may have been ! Shall we not own the gracious 
hand which strikes that it may heal,— which afflicts that 
we may be comforted ? 

Come, ye who mourn, and dry your tears, 

And let your sorrows cease ; 
Fcr lo ! the" Son of man appears, 
To calm the sufferer's anxious fears. 

And soothe his soul to peace. 

Come, ye who mourn a sinful choice, 

Come and efface the stain ; 
For lo ! the blest Redeemer's voice 
Bids every contrite heart rejoice, 

And whispers peace again. 

Come, ye who mourn with woes opprest, 

And cast your cares behind ; 
Come, lean upon your Saviour's breast, 
And hush the anxious soul to rest, 

And ca.lm the troubled mind. 

Come, ye who weep departed mends, 

Come, all to sorrow driven ; 
Lo ! o'er the grave hope's rainbow bends, 
Whose beauty from the earth extends, 

And reaches up to heaven. 

PRAYER. 

Thou, O Father, despisest not the sighings of a contrite ■ 
spirit. Thou knowest what is in our hearts, and where our 
chief desires and affections are centered. Oh that they 
may ever be, where in our best moments we wish them to 
be ! Weaken within us those earth-born .emotions that 
deaden the holier feelings of our souls. When we are 
tempted with evil thoughts and wrong passions, may we 
have strength to cast them out, resolutely directing our 
minds to the blessed truths of the Gospel. May we look upon 
each hour as a special gift from Thee, and employ it in 
the duty that Thou didst design for it. May each pleasure 
and mercy Thou sendest, be a new tie of gratitude to bind 
our hearts to Thee. May we find that labour for Thee is 



WEDNESDAY MORNING 39 

rest in Thee. Ma\ trials from Thee hecome helpers lo 
Thee. If gloom should be our portion, and the work of 
duty should be hard ; if our affections should go forth, and 
meet no return ; if the objects of our care should fail us, 
and disappointment and anxiety becloud our path ; — even 
then, dearest Father, may our faith in Thee be strong, yea 
stronger. Then may we find ourselves nearer to Thee; happy 
in thy favour ; and full of joy because we are counted worthy 
to share in our Saviour's sufferings. And when the work of 
faith is over, may the fulness of love be the portion of our 
souls, in the home of the Father and the Son. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

John xvi. 7. — It is expedient for you that I go away. 

IT was for many reasons best for the disciples that their 
Lord should be removed from them ; but never was his 
image to be erased from their hearts. The memory of the 
jusl is blessed, the righteous shall be held in everlasting 
remembrance. He only went away to be with them more 
completely. When he was personally present he was often 
misunderstood, and his lesson failed, in many instances, 
of their due influence. When he was gone, they lived the 
last year over again. His words now were received into 
good ground ; those worldly desires which choked the good 
seed were torn away ; and abundant fruit showed the 
heavenly nature of the plant and the goodness of the soil. 
It was itself a mournful event that he should depart from 
them, but he did not leave them comfortless ; they were 
sorrowful, but their sorrow was turned into joy ; they beheld 
him no more, but the Holy Spirit which the Father sent in 
his name, taught them all things, and brought to their 
recollection whatever he had said unto them. Once Jesus 
abode with them, now he abode in them ; once his form 
cheered their eyes, now his presence gladdened their hearts. 
It was no less true than wonderful, that with the departed 
they could enjoy a closer communion than with those who 
were present with them. Instead of the friendship of dying 
men, it was now the fellowship of immortal spirits, 



20 FIRST WEEK 

Come, let us join our friends above s 

That have obtained the prize, 
And on the eagle wings of love 

To joys celestial rise : 
Let all the saints terrestial sing 

With those to glory gone : 
For all the servants of our King, 

In earth and heaven, are one. 

One family, we dwell in him, 

One church, above, beneath ; 
Though now divided by the stream, — 

The narrow stream of death. 
One army of the living God, 

To His command we bow ; 
Part of the host have crossed the flood, 

And part are crossing now. 

Lo ! thousands to their endless home 

Are swiftly borne away ; 
And we are to the margin come, 

And soon mast launch as they. 
O God ! be Thou our constant guide : 

Then, when Thy word is given, 
Shall death's cold flood its waves divide, 

And land us safe in heaven. 

PRAYER. 

Ever blessed Father ! While, in our ignorance and 
frailty, we think that good, which is not good ; while we 
sometimes implore a curse instead of a blessing ; Thou 
kiiowest what is really for our highest good, and in Thy 
love Thou sendest us Thy chastenings. Often have our 
prayers been answered in a way that we expected not ; but 
always, we are humbly confident, Thou dost answer, in 
Thine own good time, and in Thine own most excellent way s 
every prayer that is offered in the spirit of the Saviour's 
trust and obedience. We rejoice that, while every thing 
on earth fades away ; while, one by one, those ties ars 
broken which bind us to this present world ; while all is to 
us uncertain, and we know not even what a day may bring 
forth ; we are enabled to say that there is One whose 
mercy never changeth. Hallelujah, for the Father omnipo- 
tent reigneth ! Oh, may our hearts be open, to perceive the 
ends of Thy dealings towards us. Make us more holy, 
more heavenly. May our life be hid with Christ in Thee. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING 21 

May we lay our treasures in the mansions above. May we 
be ever watchful and humble, that we may receive the 
teachings of Thy Spirit, and live closely with Thee. And 
when Thou takest us from our earthly home, may we find 
an eternal home in the enjoyment of Thy love, with all 
the holy ones whom the Saviour has led to Thee. Accept 
us, through Thy redeeming mercy in Christ Jesus. Amen. 



THURSDAY MORNING, 

• Psalm xlii. 11 .-—Why art thou cast down, my soul, 
and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God. 

Ci WHY art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou 
disquieted within me !" Does thy dejection spring from 
the consciousness of great imperfection in thy religious 
character ; of wrong habits not yet subdued ; of wrong 
dispositions too often exercised; of 6t talents wasted, time 
mis-spent ?" Dost thou feel apprehensive lest thou shouldst 
fail of reaching the promised inheritance \ Dost thou 
lament thy limited usefulness, thy inability to accomplish 
the purposes which thy benevolence prompts thee to form ? 
Dost thou mourn for good resolutions which have vanished 
like the morning cloud or the early dew \ Dost thou reflect 
with distress or negligence in the work assigned thee ; or 
impatience under the afflictions with which thy Father has 
visited thee ; or the little progress which thou hast made 
in subjecting thy desires and dispositions to the law of God ; 
Dost thou fear lest thy fortitude should be unable to resist 
the temptations and the difficulties which surround thee ; 
or lest thy principles should prove too weak to withstand 
the constant influence of present interests and cares and 
pleasures, which tend to check or stop thee on thy progress 
heavenward 1 Certainly thou hast room for caution, but 
not for despair. Blessed are they who mourn with godly 
sorrow, for they shall be comforted. Do not forget that 
thou art in the hands of a wise and gracious Parent, who 
knoweth our frame, who remembereth that we are but 
dust; that as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear Kim. Our unallowed defects and 
imperfections should indeed render us watchful and humble; 



22 FIRST WEEK 

but they should not exclude the cheering rays of divine 
mercy. The promises of the gospel, while they afford no 
hope to the impenitent and disobedient, give the best 
consolation to the weary and heavy laden. I cannot doubt 
the mercy of God, for it rests on His own gracious declara- 
tion. His sacrifices are a broken spirit ; and most assuredly 
a broken and a contrite heart He will not despise. Let 
me then here, in the hour of holy retirement, lay open my 
heart, with all its wants and weaknesses, before Him who 
can read the language of the silent tear ; who needs not the 
aid of words to understand my secret aspirations after obe- 
dience to His will, — after the spirit of him who hath trodden 
before us in the path of holy obedience. He, who, in ways 
which, perhaps, we cannot fully understand, communicates 
His gracious aid to those who humbly and steadily seek His 
favour, will answer my habitual supplications with strength 
in temptation, and with guidance in moral perplexities, 
such as they cannot know, who, through high ideas of their 
own firmness and strength of principle, restrain prayer before 
God, and lean not on the rock of their salvation. Why then 
art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquiet- 
ed within me \ Hope thou in God ; the God of grace and 
of all consolation ; the Almighty Guardian of those who 
love and fear Him ; the gracious Being who will make it 
well with them here, and well with them for ever. Let me 
seek His favour and His gracious succour with full purpose 
of heart. Let me not sink under difficulties, but lean on 
His powerful arm. Let me be sober and watch unto prayer ; 
and thus my end will be full of peace and hope. 

Oh ! why cast down, my soul ? 

Oh ! ^hy despair? 
Why murmur at thy lot 

Of grief and care ? 
Through every scene of pain, 
Let not thy heart complain, 
For peace will yet remain 

If God be there. 

The glorious morning's light 

Dawns bright and fair ; 
But soon the heavens grow bkck, 

The lightnings glare. 



THURSDAY MORNING 23 

Yet the red lightning's way, 
And the sun's cheering ray, 
The self-same love display, 
For God is there. 

Then welcome, O my soul ! 

The will divine ; 
And to Almighty love 

Thyself resign. 
Since love divine appears 
To wipe away my tears, 
And banish all my fears, 

His will be mine ! 

PRAYER. 

Our Father ! If weeping endureth for the night, Thou 

sendest joy with the morning. How can we resist the 

tokens of Thy love 1 Our hearts must indeed be dead, if 

we can see thy hand creating all things new, and spreading 

a fresh veil of beauty over Thy works, and doubt of Thy 

loving kindness unto us. We will take the cup of salvation, 

which Thy Son holds out to us, and call upon Thy name. 

And we ask not, Father, what shall be within that cup. If 

it be filled with disappointment or anxiety or pain or 

privation, still Thou hast prepared our lot, and we would 

meet it trustfully. Even as the Saviour prayed unto Thee, 

6 Thy will be done.' Oh give us strength to bear it and to 

do it. Suffer us not to remain under the bondage of fear ; 

but give unto us the healthful spirit of thy grace, — the 

spirit of love, of joy, and of a sound mind. If we sorrow, let 

it be after that godly sort, which shall draw our souls nearer 

to him who, for our sakes, was acquainted with grief. If 

we are glad, may our happy powers find their appointed 

work in cheerful service, bearing the burdens of the heavy 

laden, and cheering the dark lot of the lonely. Father, if 

Thou givest us the cup of trial, give us also the bread of life. 

May the heavenly words of Thy truth, be our portion this 

day. Suffer not any unworthy motive to influence our hearts. 

May the suggestions of self-love, and the cravings of the 

lower appetites, and all temptations from without, as well 

as the spirit of distrust within, be overcome by faith in 

Thy promises : and may our souls be full of light in Thy 

lcve, for evermore. Grant it to us, and to all dear to us, 

through Thine infinite mercy in Christ Jesus. Amen. 



24 

THURSDAY EVENING. 

Isaiah xxvi. 3. — Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. 

THIS peace is the peace of God which passeth all under- 
standing, which the Saviour has promised to bestow on 
those who love him ; — this is calm and bright in the midst 
of storms and darkness ; — the world knoweth it not, -and 
can neither give it, nor take it away. 

It is promised to him who stayeth his soul on the Rock 
of Ages ; who seeketh no help elsewhere ; who loveth 
nothing in comparison with Him who is perfect love. 

Why doth the prophet give this sure word of comfort to 
him that stayeth his mind on God? Because he trusteth. 
In whom should we trust, but in Him from whom, and 
through whom, and to whom are all things ? When the 
weak mortal clings with confidence to the Omnipotent Im- 
mortal, what can he fear 1 What ought to disturb his trust \ 
And how often, instead of thus yielding ourselves to God, 
and partaking of His Holy Spirit, and rejoicing in all that 
He doth, because He doth it, and it must therefore be 
very good ; how often do we fret ourselves that our way 
hath not been God's way, and that our fond and empty 
visions have vanished into air ! — Then we have no peace ! 
How often, when we have wandered from God, instead of 
staying our souls on Him who can bring us back, do we 
seek after false guides, or ask of ourselves the way to peace ! 
How often, when sorrows come upon us, do we forget from 
whom they come, and lose the peace of God, because we 
have not trusted in Him ! 

Oh may we ever strive to unite our wills with God's, and 
then nothing can happen to harass our souls ; may we trust 
in Him with perfect faith, and then He will give us perfect 
peace. 

There is a calm the poor in spirit know, 
That softens sorrow, and that lightens woe ; f - 

There is a peace that dwells within the breast, 
When all without is stormy and distrest ; 
There is a light that gilds the darkest hour, s 

When dangers threaten, and when troubles lour : 
That calm to faith and hope and love is given ; 
That peace remains when all beside is riven ; 
That light shines down to man, direct from heaven. 



THURSDAY EVENING 25 

PRAYER. 
Father ! how sweet it is to lie down in peace, and know 
that Thou guardest our slumbers ! We would not fear the 
pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the terrors of de- 
vouring flames, nor the attacks of lawless men. As Thou 
wert with Jesus on the mountain, so be with us. May our 
wakeful thoughts, and even the visions of our sleep, be 
Thine. But, Father, we would not trust in Thee, only when 
our own powers are inactive. Lead us to stay on Thy supports, 
when they of this world are trusting to themselves. In the 
activity of life, and in the contention of our daily labour, 
may we be working for Thee, and find that Thou blessest 
our toil. While the ungodly are distracted with anxieties, 
may we trust in Thy promises of food and raiment to such 
as seek first the heavenly kingdom. May we make any 
sacrifices that the spirit of Thy word enjoins, and then 
calmly wait on Thee. When sudden calamities terrify those 
who live without Thy law, may we remember that nothing 
is sudden unto Thee, and that time and chance are not 
known in Thy presence. May we faithfully apply the 
means of holiness, and the means of usefulness Thou hast 
granted unto us ; and in patient hope, leave the result with 
Thee. May it ever be the joy of our lives to be about our 
Father's business. Guide us by Thy Holy Spirit. Make 
the way of duty plain unto us, and may we quietly wait for 
the movings of Thy grace : — content, O Father, with Thy 
will, and quiet as a child. Watch over all those that are 
dear unto us. Calm the turbulence of evil passions, and lay 
every anxiety to rest in Thy love. And when earthly toil 
is over, and we need no longer the refreshment of bodily 
repose, may we enter into the rest of perfect trust, and the 
peace of endless love, which passeth all present understand- 
ing. We ask it through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 

Psalm lxii. 1. — Truly my soul waiteth wpon God, from 
Him cometh my salvation. 

WE should fix our thoughts on God : — we are to spend 
with Him an eternity. He has communicated to us His 

D 



26 FIRST WEEK 

own image : endowed us with wonderful powers of body 
and mind, subjected the visible world to our use, and sur- 
rounded us with blessings. Not only great temporal 
benefits, but vast spiritual mercies we have received from 
God. He has sent His Son, a divine Redeemer to a guilty 
world, to open the way of reconciliation and peace. He 
has also promised to us the earnest of His Spirit to conspire 
with all the purposes and efforts of grace conducing to 
human salvation. He has become the repairer of our decayed 
frames, the enlivener of our dead souls, the infuser of spirit- 
ual light into our dark minds, the kindler of spiritual 
warmth in our cold hearts ; the imparter of spiritual strength 
to our feeble powers, and the author of glorious liberty to 
captives under the vassalage of lust and passion. He has 
promised to aid us in the performance of our duties ; in 
fulfilling the conditions of salvation, in order to our becom- 
ing sons of God. He is our guide in the ways of truth ; 
mxr counsellor in all doubts ; our support in all needs ; our 
succour in all distresses ; our guard against temptations ; 
our comforter in sadness ; our monitor in peril, and our 
friend at all times. He enables us to cherish good thoughts, 
to kindle holy desires, to strengthen pious resolutions, and 
to further honest endeavours. 

He teaches us how to pray ; and then answers our prayers. 
He gives us great bounties ; and then tells us how to relish 
them. He imparts opportunities ; and advises how to im- 
prove them. He arms us with power ; and instructs us 
where to be useful. He fires us with passions ; and then 
metes out their limits and uses. He has filled us with earthly 
and heavenly attributes ; and then marked out to each its 
station and glory. He excites us to action by- every pioper 
stimulant ; and regulates that action by every religious 
motive. He has made us all we are ; and promised us all 
we hope for. 

What then can we return to God for His manifold good- 
ness. Let us give Him glory for all the good works 
performed by us ; all the good fruit growing on us ; all the 
good habits established in us. Let not our souls be barred 
against Him by vain conceits, and vicious inclinations ; but 



FRIDAY MORNING 27 

let us make them holy temples of His divinity, royal 
thrones of His majesty, bright orbs of His heavenly light, 
and welcome abodes of His blissful presence. Let us 
remember that the only way of coming to happiness in the 
next world, is coming to God in this. 

God, my strength, to Thee I pray ! 
Turn not Thou Thine ear away ; 
Gracious to my cry attend, 
While the suppliant knee I bend. 

Grant me, Lord, Thy peace and light, 

To direct my steps aright, 

To protect, in trial's hour, 

From the world's ensnaring power. 

Cleanse me from the guilt that lies 
Wrapt within my heart's disguise ; 
Let me thence, by Thee renewed, 
All presumptuous sin exclude. 

Let my tongue, from rashness free, 
Speak the words approved by Thee : 
And to Thine all-searching eyes 
Let my thoughts accepted rise. 

Hear, and to my soul display 
Mercy's all enlivening raj ; 
Let it lead, in faith and love, 
Onward to a home above. 

PRAYER. 

O most merciful and gracious God ! Thou art the fountain 
of all mercy and goodness. Thou hast opened Thy hand 
of mercy to fill us with blessings, and with the sweet effects 
of thy loving kindness. As Thou hast spread Thy hand 
over us for a covering, so also enlarge our hearts with 
thankfulness, and fill our mouths with praise ; that our 
duty and returns to Thee, may be great as the grace we 
stand in need of. May what Thou hast sown in mercy, 
spring up in duty. — Let us walk in the light of Thy favour, 
and in the paths of Thy commandments : that, living here 
to the glory of our Lord, we may spend eternity in giving 
praise to Thy exalted and ever glorious name. Guide us, 
O Lord, in all the varieties and changes of the world ; that 
in all things which may happen, we may preserve an even- 
ness and a tranquillity of spirit ; that our souls may be 



28 FIRST WEEK 

wholly resigned to Thy divinest will and pleasure ; never 
murmuring at Thy chastisements and Fatherly correction ; 
never being high minded or forgetful, if it please Thee to 
grant us prosperity. — Fix our thoughts, our hopes, our 
desires, on eternal things. Teach us to despise the world. 
Enrich our understandings with an eternal treasure of Divine 
truths, that we may know Thy will ; and give us a firm 
purpose, knowing, to perform it. — O Lord, strengthen our 
faith, confirm our hope, and give us a daily increase of 
charity ; that this day and ever we may serve Thee accord- 
ing to all our opportunities and capacities, growing from 
grace to grace, in the knowledge and likeness of our beloved 
Saviour. Amen. 



FRIDAY EYENING. 

John xxi. 17. — He saith unto him the third time, "Simon, 
son of Jonas, lovest thou meV 

" PETER was grieved because he said unto him the third 
time, lovest thou me !" And well he might be, for it must 
have reminded him of his three denials, when his Lord 
turned and looked on him, and he went out and wept 
bitterly. He who had been loudest in his protestations, was 
the first to fall ; and yet Jesus knew that he had a strength 
of love which would cast out his fear, and render him a 
brave and faithful shepherd. 

We, too, have expressed our love to Christ. We should 
be grieved if it were questioned. We take his name upon 
us ; we seek his spirit in our prayers ; perhaps sit at his 
table ; and yet have we, who have broken bread with him, 
never lifted up our heel against him, and brought his name 
into dishonour, by the inconsistency of our conduct ? Pos- 
sibly, conscience may acquit us ; and yet have we not 
neglected and forsaken, if we have not wilfully denied, him ? 
In the hour of joy, have we not closed our ears to his 
prophesies of sorrow, saying, " These things shall not be 
unto us?" In distress have we not gone forth from his 



FRIDAY EVENING 29 

presence, to sorrow as those without hope ! Have we 
watched with his "brethren in their agony ? Have we cheered 
them in the hour of their trial ? Have we helped them to 
bear their crosses 1 Have we been willing to take up our 
own, to deny ourselves, and follow Christ, in evil report, as 
well as in good report ? Do we count all things but loss, 
that we might win him ? Do we feel as if nothing can 
separate us from his love, and from that of the Father, 
whom he came to reveal to us ? 

If we have been favoured with blissful communion with 
him ; if he has revealed himself to our hearts, and we think 
we love him, so that we could do anything to serve him ; 
if we feel ourselves his friends, and have been always ready 
to own our affection for him, before those who might despise 
ns for it ; let us show it, in the way that he pointed out to 
Peter, by feeding his sheep ; strengthening the diseased, 
and healing the sick ; binding up that which was broken, 
and bringing again that which was driven away ; and seeking 
those who were lost. We cannot love him whom we do 
not see, unless our hearts are warmed towards our brethren, 
and his. We cannot love them, unless we lead them to 
those still waters, which we have found ourselves so sweet, 
and teach them to repose in the shade of the tree of life. 
The love of Christ must constrain us to live no longer to 
ourselves ; we must " walk in love, as Christ also loved us 
and hath given himself for us ; " we must not only be pure 
in heart, but must show a willingness, like his, to make 
a sacrifice of personal ease, and to give up enjoyments, 
which to us are innocent, and to go whither we would not, 
that we may be the means of saving others from temptation, 
and delivering them from evil ; and then Christ and the 
Father will love us, and they will come unto us, and make 
their abode with us. 



Though sorrows rise, and dangers roll 

In waves of darkness o'er my soul ; 

Though friends are false, and love decays, 

And few and evil are my days ; 

Yet e'en in nature's utmost ill, 

I love Thee, Lord ! I love Thee still ! 



30 FIRST WEEK 

Though conscience, fiercest of my foes, 
Swells with remembered guilt my woes ; 
And memory points, with busy pain, 
To grace and mercy given in vain ; 
Though every thought has power to kill, 
I love Thee, Lord II love Thee still ! 

Oh, by the woes Messiah bore, 

And in his grief was loved the more ; 

By these, my pangs, whose healing smart 

Thy grace hath planted in my hear* ; 

I know, I feel Thy bounteous will ! 

Thou lov'st me, Lord ! Thou lov'st me still ! 

PRAYER. 

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, oh, fill us 
wi^h his devotion, his love of souls, his meekness, his patient 
and self-denying zeal ; and give us grace that we may walk 
after his example, in all holiness, purity and goodness. 
Thou seest the children of men who are yet walking in a 
vain shew, and following evil devices ; and the many who 
cry, from the dark wilderness of ignorance and sin, 'no man 
careth for our souls.' May we ourselves be converted unto 
Thee, the living God ; and then go forth, with an earnest 
and loving heart, to seek and to save those that are lost. 
And oh, preserve us from the temptations of prosperity and 
of adversity ; of self-indulgence, and of envy ; and grant that 
in the spirit of a Christlike devotedness unto Thee and to 
the eternal interests of the human soul, we may run and not 
be weary, we may walk and not faint. May the love of 
Christ constrain us to live unto him that died for us ; that, 
when we die, we may die in the Lord, and he received into 
the fulness of Thy love in him. Amen. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 

John iv. 84. — Jesus saith unto them, My [meat is to do 
the will of Him that sent me. 

WHAT our blessed Saviour said of himself, should be 
applicable to his followers, that it is their meat and drink 
to do their Father's w T ill. And, as the natural appetite 
is carried out towards food, though we should hot 
reflect on the necessity of it for the preservation of our 



SATURDAY MORNING 31 

lives ; so are the diciples of Jesus carried with a natural 
and unforced bias towards that which is good and com- 
mendable. It is true, external motives are many times of 
great use, to excite and stir up this inward principle ; — 
especially in its infancy and weakness, when it is often so 
languid that the man himself can scarcely discern it, hardly 
being able to move one step forward, except when he is 
urged by his hopes or fears, by the pressure of an affliction, 
or the sense of a mercy, by the authority of the law, or the 
persuasion of others. Now if such a person be conscien- 
tious and uniform in his obedience, and earnestly groaning 
under a sense of his dulness, and desirous to perform his 
duties with more spirit and vigour ; these are the first 
motions of the divine life, which, though it be faint and 
weak, will surely be cherished by the influences of heaven, 
and grow into greater maturity. But he who is utterly 
destitute of this inward principle, and doth not aspire to it, 
but contents himself with those performances, whereunto he 
is prompted by education or custom, by the fear of Hell, or 
carnal notions of Heaven, can no more be accounted a 
religious person than a puppet can be called a man. This 
forced and artificial religion is commonly heavy and languid, 
like the motion of a weight forced upwards ; it is cold and 
- spiritless, like the uneasy compliance of a wife married 
against her will, who carrieth it dutifully towards the hus- 
band whom she doth not love, out of some sense of virtue 
and honour. Hence also this religion is scanty and nig- 
gardly, especially in those duties which do the greatest 
violence to men's carnal inclinations ; and those slavish 
spirits will be sure to do no more than is absolutely required : 
'tis a law that compels them, and they will be loath to go 
beyond what it stints them to ; nay, they will be ever putting 
such glosses on it, as may leave themselves the greatest 
liberty. Whereas the spirit of true religion is frank and 
liberal, far from such peevish and narrow reckoning ; and he 
who hath given himself entirely unto God, will never think 
he doth too much for Him. 

O God ! my strength, my hope ! 
On Thee I cast my care : 
With humble confidence look up 

And know Thou hear'st my prayer. 



32 FIRST WEEK 

Give me on Thee to wait, 
Till I can all things do ; 
On Thee, almighty to create, 
Almighty to renew. 

I want a sober mind ; 

A self-renouncing will, 
That tramples down and casts behind 

The baits of pleasing ill ; 

A soul inured to pain, 

To haidship, grief and loss, 
Bold to take up, firm to sustain 

The consecrated cross. 

I want a godly fear ; 

A quick discerning eye, 
That looks to Thee when sin is near, 

And sees the tempter fly ; 

A spirit still prepared 

And armed with jealous care; 
Forever standing on its guard, 

And watching unto prayer. 

I want a heart to pray, 
To pray and never cease, 

Never to murmur at Thy stay, 
Or wish my suffering less. 
This blessing above all — 
Always to pray, I want ; 

Out of the deep on Thee to call, 
And never, never faint. 

I want a true regard, 

A single steady aim, 
(Unmoved by threatening or reward,) 

To Thee and Thy great name ; 

A jealous, just concern 

For Thine immortal praise ; 
A pure desire that all may learn 

And glorify Thy grace. 

I rest upon Thy word ; 

Thy promise is for me ; 
]Vly succour and salvation, Lord, 

Shall surely come from Thee. 

But let me still abide, 

Nor from my hope remove, 
Till Thou my patient spirit guide 

Into Thy perfect love. 



SATURDAY MORNING 33 

PRAYER. 

Lord, our heavenly Father ! when we neglect our duty 
in any respect, we feel backward to make our appearance 
before Thee. Let us free our minds from all consciousness 
of guilt and of self-reproach, by a constant and a steady 
discharge of our whole duty. When we cannot look to Thee 
with full confidence, we are apt to omit devotion entirely. 
Oh let us cast off our sins and negligences and evil thoughts ; 
and with contrite hearts ask Thy pardoning mercy. May 
we experience that inward peace which religion alone can 
give. May we live nearer and closer unto Thee our God. 
Oh that there were such a heart in us, that we could at all 
times live, act, and speak as in Thy presence. Thou knowest, 
indeed, that, in our better moments, we would not willingly 
transgress even the least of Thy commandments; yet how 
dull and languid have been our affections ! how inadequate 
the feelings of our hearts for the numberless blessings which 
from day to day thou showerest down upon us. Oh may 
there be greater devotedness to Thee ; and a more earnest 
purpose, as followers of Jesus, to bless our brethren of man- 
kind, to promote their present and their everlasting welfare. 
Give us the spirit of humble trust and of patient endurance. 
Whatever may be our trials, enable us, we beseech Thee, 
to bear them with resignation and cheerfulness, as becometh 
the faithful disciples of him who endured the cross and 
despised the shame for us men, and for our salvation ; and 
whose prayer it was, 'Father, not my will, but Thine be 
done.' Amen. 



SATURDAY EVENING. 

Luke vii. 50.— -Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace. 

PEACE ! It was a thing she had not fully known since she 
had left its paths, — those ways of wisdom and pleasantness. 
There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked ; and she 
had no peace while her sins were many. Nor yet was there 
perfect peace in that transport of penitence and love in 
which she stood before Jesus. That was victory, but now 



34 FIRST WEEK 

Christ gives her peace : not as the world giveth, gave he 
unto her ; her heart was not to be troubled, nor to be afraid. 
Her faith was strong ; and the belief that Christ had promised 
her rest, would be her safeguard in the hour of peril. Yet 
her tears were not for ever dried ! How often, in the midst 
of her most sacred musings, would some impure thought 
rise up from the vaults of memory ! — but then her faith 
would save her, and she would be able to banish it, and it 
would even add to her present holiness, by teaching her 
humility and self-distrust. How often would she feel her 
powers for good weakened by her past misconduct ! — but 
yet love would supply the deficiency, and an ardour, before 
unknown, would inspire, with unwonted force, the energies 
that were spared her ! How often would the remembrance 
of past sin rise up, like a thick vapour, till faith should 
save her, and show that 

"The cloud we so much dread 
Is big: with mercies, and will break 
In blessings on our head ! " 

" Go in peace ! " May we apply the words of the Saviour 
to ourselves .' Yet how few of us can ! Who can say, I 
have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith \ Who 
can feel that the conflict is over, even if it has begun ? 
May God give us such an earnest love of Him, that we 
may gain the victory over our many foes ; We cannot 
have perfect repose till we are perfectly holy ; but the 
warmer our love to the God of goodness, the less shall we 
experience that fear in which is torment. 

" Go in peace," then, may we hear the Saviour say to us, 
if, like the penitent woman, we come to him with lowly and 
contrite hearts, — if we bewail our sins with that true sorrow 
which bringeth repentance not to be repented of. Let us 
not slight the blessed invitation, — " Come unto me, all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me ; for I am meek 
and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 

B ehold the gospel' mer cy seat ! 

Let penitence in fait h draw near : 
Lo*! truth and grace with justice meet, 

The humble, contrite soul to cheer. 



SATURDAY EVENING 35 

"When it bewails the stains of sin, 
And shuns the unrighteous thought or deed, 

Thou givest mercy, Lord, within, 
And grace to help in time of need. 

No longer let the gloom and fears 

Of nature's twilight sink the heart ; 
The Saviour's words dispel our tears, 

And peace, and hope, and light impart. 

He leads us to a Father's throne ; 

And the sure hope through him m given, 
That, when the work of faith is done, 

We have a sinless home in heaven. 

PRAYER. 

Once more, Thou most tender Father, hast Thou 
brought the week to close on us in peace ! Here we raise 
the altar of thanksgiving, and declare that hitherto our 
Lord hath helped us. If our hearts have been disquieted 
within us, Thou didst not send the trouble. If we have 
yielded to temptation, Thou didst not make it too strong 
for us. If the week has been barren in holy purposes and 
endeavours, Thou wouldst have made the wilderness to 
blossom as the rose, if only we had looked to Thee. — 
Father, we know not which most to wonder at ; Thy long- 
suffering, or our ingratitude. When, Lord, shall we be 
wholly Thine, as we long to be \ When shall we over- 
come the sluggishness of our baser nature, and the violence 
of our lower passions, and love and serve Thee with an 
undivided heart \ Lord we believe : help Thou our unbelief! 
May we cast aside all self-seeking, and lay our burden of 
iniquity low at the foot of the cross. May we crucify 
every unholy desire, and allow 7 of no impure remembrance. 
May our thoughts be of Thy love, and of our duty. Now, 
Father, we are giving ourselves up to unconscious sleep : 
watch over us, and preserve us from outward danger, and 
still more from inward temptation. May the night be 
holy to us : that we may be prepared for the holy day 
that shall open to us, whether in this life or in that which 
is to come. We leave ourselves in thy loving care, through 
our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



36 



SC5 



tmh fll«K. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 

Rev. xxi. 4. — And God shall wipe away all tears from 

their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 

sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; 

for the former things are passed away. 

" GOD shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Tears 
are the visible and affecting expressions of distress ; and, 
therefore, to say there shall be no more tears, is to say, 
that all those causes of sorrow, which exist in the present 
world, shall be eternally removed. " There shall be no 
more death, neither sorrow nor crying ;" because these are 
the causes which rend the hearts of men, and suffuse their 
eyes with tears. 

There shall be no more tears of separation. The longest 
and most painful separations are those which are caused 
by death ; and what eye has not been dimmed with tears 
by this I He must have been unhappy indeed over whose 
unmoistened grave no tears are shed, and whose death has 
occasioned no regrets. But the number of those is few. 
Death rends all hearts. When Joseph died, the children 
of Israel wept sore. " My Father ! my Father ! " exclaimed 
Elisha, when Elijah was taken away from him. "O my 
Son Absalom ! O Absalom, my Son, my Son," said the 
much-moved David, as he "went up to the chamber over 
the gate,*' that he might weep alone. And when his friend 
Lazarus died, "Jesus wept." Well, be it so. To weep and 
to be wept is the irreversible decree as to man below ; but 
then, so much the more welcome the state we hope for. A 
great voice is heard out of heaven, "And there shall be no 



SUNDAY MORNING 87 

more death." The sight would be a blot in the tabernacle 
of God. The rigid limb, the silent pulse, the breathless 
lip, the pallid cheek, the fixed and darkened eye ; these, 
these are not scenes for heaven. But this is the decree: — 
" There shall be no more death." This shall restore and 
perpetuate your friendships, and wipe the tears of separa- 
tion away for ever. 

And with the tears of separation pass away all those which 
pain wrings from the tortured body, or sorrow from the 
wounded spirit. Martyrs, — you have been racked and torn ; 
but there is now no more pain for you ; for, like your Master, 
you have exchanged your crown of thorns, for a crown of 
glory. Patient sufferers from disease, — you could weep, 
though you could not murmur ; but wearisome nights are no 
longer appointed you. Nor does the spirit, full charged with 
its inward griefs, pour the floods into the eyes. No publican 
here smites on his breast, exclaiming, " God be merciful to 
me a sinner !" No Peter, the cowardly denier of his Lord, 
goes out to weep bitterly. No tears of shame and grief are 
shed over barrenness of spirit and hardness of heart. Zion 
no longer cries, " the Lord hath forgotten me.'' " There 
shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, nor any more pain.'* 

And we may add, that there shall not be even tears of 
joy. For what do they suppose \ The joy which finds 
relief in tears supposes a previous anguish ; and that the 
change from one state to another, shakes the feebleness of 
mortality. Or it supposes that we are so unused to strong 
emotions, that our measure of joy is soon filled up ; that 
even the bliss of earth may be too copious for the contracted 
vessel of our hearts ; and, therefore, so easily overflows in 
tears. But there shall be no such alternations in heaven ; 
nor will the capacity for blessedness be thus limited. Joy 
will not be so much a stranger that wes hail weep at meeting 
it, .If will be habit, not accident. It will be, not the 
transient flash which dazzles, overpowers, and disappears ; 
but the fixed and steady element in which we shall live 
for ever. 

And the text gives the reason of all this ; — "The former 
things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne 

E 



38 SECOND WEEK 

said, Behold, I make all things new." How impressive and 
sublime is the scene thus presented ! Under the throne of 
him who is arrayed in the glory of the Father, lie heaven, 
and earth — the present seat of death and sorrow and pain. 
He speaks, and they vanish, and the former things are passed 
away. He speaks again, and a new heaven and earth spring 
into being. "The tabernacle of God is with men ;" and He 
that sitteth upon the throne saith, "Behold, I make all 
things new." What a dream will then our earthly sufferings 
and labours, our joys and our sorrows, appear ! They have 
passed away, and a new world opens to our view to abide 
for ever. 

Oh for the winged seraph's power to soar 

Into those fields of everlasting light 

Where darkness is not ! Oh for power to ascend 

To those blest regions to which Jesus rose 

From the dark tomb, the herald of our way ; 

Himself the first fruits of the sleeping dead ! 

Oh for the freedom of those sons of God, 

The bright, immortal spirits of the just, 

No longer held by bonds of earth and flesh, 

Of sense and passion ; all whose trials o'er, 

Whose sorrows ended, and whose joys complete, 

Now stand before the throne of the Most High, 

Seeing as they are seen 7 and knowing Him, 

The eternal One, even as they are known ! 

Arise, my trembling, fainting soul, arise, 

And join this glorious band of worshipers. 

See where they stand, a host of witnesses 

To tell thee 'tis thy Father's house, thy home, 

In which they wait thy coming. Like thyself, 

They once sustained their mighty conflict here. 

Like thee they toiled and suffered, hoped and feared. 

They passed through darkness, deep as ever hung 

Over thy path ; through ways as rough and hard 

As ever wore thy tired and pilgrim feet. 

Wilt thou, then, sink, or murmur at thy lot 

When tried, or charge thy Father foolishly ? 

Lord, I believe ; help thou my unbelief! 

Lord, I believe ; increase, increase my faith ! 

Oh for a will entirely bowed to thine ! 

I Oh for a heart in every thought so pure, 

[. In every spring of feeling so refined, 

«J That e'er this body may a temple be 

Meet for Thy Holy Spirt! Father ! hear, 
Oh hear my prayer, and answer, and forgive ! 
>. TJry kingdom come, O God, within my soul ! 



SUNDAY MORNING 39 

Thy will be done in me as 'tis in heaven ! 
Then, then will faith its highest triumphs prove, 
"When I am perfected in heavenly love. 
Then, with a seraph's wing, my soul sha.!l rise, 
And join, e'en here, the worship of the skies. 
Then will my highest pleasures be my last, 
And heaven begin before the world be past. 

PRAYER. 
Lord ! We are continually with Thee. Impress this thought 
upon our hearts, that they may be pure, and glad, and grateful. 
Let us not forget Thy presence, and Thy help. All Thy past 
dealings towards us show T Thy goodness, care, and bounty. 
When we know and feel that Thou art with us, our weakness is 
turned to strength ; our darkness, to light ; our doubts and 
fears, to hope and confidence. It is then that temptation loses 
its power, and sin its dominion, and trials their weight. It is 
then that crosses are borne in patience, and duties performed 
with pleasure. Lord ! we need, we ask, a lively and constant 
sense of Thine omnipotence, to make us holy and happy. 
O Lord, we implore Thy guidance. Thy counsel alone can 
direct us in the way of peace and safety. It is Thy wisdom 
that makes us truly wise. Make us to know and follow the 
teachings of Thy word, and Spirit, and the example of Thy 
Son, that we may honour Thee on earth, and be prepared for 
the mansions of glory in Thy kingdom. May we ever con- 
template Thee, as the sum of all perfection, the chief good, 
the greatest and most glorious Being in the universe ; infi- 
nitely worthy of the homage, praise, and obedience of all Thy 
creatures. May we see that without Thee we are nothing ; 
and that all our springs of life and happiness are in Thee. 
Grant us this pious concentration of feeling and thought, 
that our souls may be united to Thee by a holy, supreme, 
and contant love. And when we view Thee as the only 
object of our supreme regard in heaven, may nothing on the 
earth destroy or abate our love to Thee. Let us not esteem 
the creature more than the Creator ; or lose sight of the 
Giver in His manifold gifts. Purify and elevate the desires of 
our souls, so that it may be our study and delight to do Thy 
will and please Thee in all things. So long as we dwell on 
earth, may we live as pilgrims and strangers ; and lay up our 
treasure and have our conversation in heaven. We ask it in 
the name of our ever blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



40 SECOND WEEK 

SUNDAY EVENING. 

Rev. xxii. 1. — And he shewed me a pure river of water 
of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of 
God and of (he Lamb, 

WHAT a glorious vision to comfort and encourage us in 
this lower world ! 

Here the water of life often runs in small, and hardly 
perceptible streams, with difficulty making its way along 
through all the roughnesses and hindrances of this vale of 
our pilgrimage, sometimes almost lost amid quicksands and 
marshes. There it majestically rolls on its full tide in a 
river, overshadowed on each side by trees bearing their 
fresh, luxuriant fruit every month, and whose leaves are 
for the healing of the nations. 

Here the stream of our life is often so tainted with many 
noxious things, that we can hardly recognize it as having 
proceeded from the all-holy Fountain ; and as we look on 
these small, polluted streams, exhaling unwholesome va- 
pours, we wonder if they can do any good to beast or even 
to herb ; and it seems impossible to us that they should ever 
be purified. But the angel shews us the water of life pure. 
How great a change must there be made in those other 
waters ! How glorious a change will be made when all 
the waters of life shall be gathered into that large river ! 

The waters of life are here often very turbid ; we cannot 
see clearly through them ; we are not sure whether it is 
our vision which is imperfect, — beclouded with mists of 
self-love, of evil passions, — or whether the water itself has 
so mixed with the clay of the valley that it cannot be 
separated from it. Let us patiently endure its dulness for 
the short time we are here, for there it will be clear as 
crystal, reflecting, with dazzling lustre, all the glorious 
objects in the heavenly city through which it flows. 

Whence is this blessed river of the water of life \ The 
angel shows it to us " proceeding out of the throne of God 
and of the Lamb." Therefore is it so large, so pure, so 
clear. Nothing that is limited can proceed from infinity ; 



SUNDAY EVENING- 41 

nothing that is impure can come forth from perfect purity ; 
nothing that is dark can emanate from the Fountain of 
light. 

We see here but in part; we understand but in part. 
When the perfect is come, this partial seeing, this partial 
knowing will be done away ; that which is now only the 
vision of faith, will be a glorious reality. 



Descend, ray spirit ! Rest in humble peace 

Where His kind hand hath placed thee, who best knows 

Thy mortal frame, remembering thou art dust. 

There faith shall whisper thee sweet words of trust, 

That if thou steadfast presses! on the way 

Of thy high calling ; thy affections rise 

To things above, nor centre here below ; — 

If, while thou minglest with the cares of life, 

Thou doest all to gain thy Father's love ;— 

If, living ia the world, mixing with men, 

Thou treadest not in their unholy ways ; — 

Then thalt thou share a joy which human heart 

Cannot conceive ; then an immortal crown 

Shall circle brows which here would dazzled shrink 

From its pure brightness. As poor blighted flowers. 

Or as the winter rose that scarce unfolds 

Its sickly leaves to catch the mid-day sun, 

Our feeble spirits sink before the blast, 

Nor dare to imbibe the strong meridian rays ; 

But there the mortal seeds, in weakness sown, 

Shall rise in power and glory, heirs with Christ, 

Glorious partakers with the sons of God ! 

PRAYER, 

We bless Thee, O Father, that Thou dost sometimes give 
us the visions of glory to help us through the vale. When we 
descend from the holy mount where they have shone around 
us, to continue our pilgrimage below, grant that their light 
may. still be about as ; and that we may go rejoicing on the 
way Thou hast pointed out for us. We thank Thee, and we 
would take courage from these manifestations of Thy love. 
During the anxieties and doubts of the v:eek that has now begun 
to us, we w r ould remember the holy thoughts of this day of 
heavenly contemplation. And oh ! grant that our hearts may 
be so filled w T ith images of glory, and purposes of duty, that 



42 SECOND WEEK 

sinful desires shall find no entrance there. May the homes 
of our souls be well furnished with the treasures of the divine 
life. May no empty places in our affections tempt our bosom 
foes to assert their old dominion. But, bearing our treasures 
and our heaven about with us ; abounding always in the work 
of the Lord; thinking on whatever is pure and lovely ; subduing, 
through the strength of Thy Holy Spirit, every earthly and 
debasing purpose ; resolutely choosing the good part which 
can never be taken away from us ; may we proceed from 
strength to strength, until each one of us appear perfect before 
Thee in Zion. Unite us, and all dear to us, we pray Thee, 
in the bonds of Thine eternal love : through Jesus Christ, 
our beloved Saviour. Amen. 



MONDAY MORNING. 

I Thess. v. 17. — Pray without ceasing, 

WHAT is prayer \ Have we thought that the use of certain 
forms is necessary to it \ Have we deemed it requisite 
in order to pray, that we should either join with others, or 
retire into some secret place to open our hearts to God \ 
Have we supposed that prayer could be performed only at 
fixed seasons, or when the heart is in a peculiar state of 
excitement? A13 these circumstances may be, and often 
are, highly favourable to devotion. But if we think them 
necessary, our views of the duty are too narrow. Prayer 
is far less the use of certain language, than the exercise 
of certain dispositions and affections ; and the great design 
of the expression of prayer is, to strengthen the dispositions 
and affections in which it peculiarly consists. The design 
of forms of prayer is, to secure us against inconsistency 
and impropriety, either in the sentiments or the expressions 
of devotion. The purpose of social worship, is, peculiarly, 
to unite our social with our pious affections ; and, by the 
same act, to bind us at once more closely to each other and 
to God. The object of secret prayer is, the free expression 
to God of what we could not freely express with, or before, 
one another. And seasons of prayer are prescribed, because 



MONDAY MORNING 43 

the duty, for which we have no allotted time, is easily 
deferred from hour to hour, from day to day, till it is utterly 
forgotten. But if the dispositions and affections, in which 
prayer peculiarly consists, are felt to any considerable 
degree, it cannot be shut up within the limits of stated hours, 
and of particular forms and places of devotion ; it cannot 
always wait till others are ready to join in it, nor be restrain- 
ed by the forms from which, perhaps, it has derived the most 
important benefits. These dispositions and affections, where 
they have obtained an ascendency, will often burst asunder 
the bonds by which our labours or cares or pleasures would 
confine them. They will rise to God under the pressure 
of circumstances and events, which would bear them down 
to the earth ; and in proportion as they are exercised and 
cherished, will produce the most important effects on our 
characters, our habits, and our happiness. These moment- 
ary, but sincere references aud expressions to God, are an 
accomplishment of the precept, *'pray without ceasing/' 
And not only may we thus pray without neglecting any 
other duty ; but in this habitual devotion is the most uni- 
form and powerful excitement to fidelity in every obligation. 

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, 

Uttered or unexpressed ; 
The motion of a hidden fire 

That trembles in the breast. 

Prayer is the burden of a sigh, 

The falling of a tear ; 
The upward glancing of an e>e 

When none but God is near. 

Prayer is the simplest form of speech 

That infant lips can try ; 
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach 

The Majesty on high. 

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air; 
His watchword at the gates of death,— 

He enters heaven by prayer. 

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice 

Returning from his ways ; 
While Angels in their songs rejoict, 

And say, " Behold, he prays ! " 



44 SECOND WEEK 

The saints, in prayer, appear as one, 
In word, and deed, and mind ; 

When with the Father and the Son 
Sweet fellowship they find. 

O thou, by whom we come to God ? 

The Life, the Truth, the Way ; 
The path of prayer thyself hast trod, 

Lord, teach us how to pray ! 



PRAYER. 

How shall we speak to Thee, O Thou God of purity and 
holiness ! to Thee, who art of purer eyes than to behold 
iniquity ; and we, who are of unclean lips and unholy thoughts ? 
Oh touch our hearts with Thy love. Lift us above our weak- 
ness and our sins. Make us of the number of those, whose 
transgression is covered ; of those happy ones, to whom Thou 
imputest not sin. Thou art all-powerful to save ; all- good 
to bless ; all- merciful to forgive ; all-beneficent to supply the 
wants of Thy creatures. Our bodily wants Thou meetest 
with rich abundance. And Thy Divine Spirit is over the 
hearts of all Thy children, to elevate and purify and bless ; to 
make them meet for Thy kingdom above. And Thou hast 
promised to withold none of Thy gifts from those who call 
upon Thee out of a pure heart. O Father ! w r e know that we 
are sinful. We feel a cloud upon our souls, that tells us we 
have not been faithful to the high and the holy privilege of 
listening to Thy words and knowing Thy will. And yet, — 
we cannot live without Thee. With humble awe, with deep 
humility of heart and soul, we bow before Thee. Oh ! listen to 
our cry ! From the depths of our hearts it ascends to Thee 
for mercy, for help, for salvation. Oh, turn us not away. 
Pour forth Thy Spirit upon us ; — Thine own ail- conquering 
Spirit, that tears the rocks and rends the mountains, and finds 
nothing too hard to resist its holy influences — but the wicked 
heart of man ! Make us willing captives to Thy truth. Make 
us to feel its power in our hearts ; raising as from a death of 
sin to a life of righteousness ; elevating our soul by the con- 
templation of things above ; conforming our will to Thine ; 
creating a clean heart, and renewing a right spirit within us. 
Lord ! we are Thine, though unworthy. As clay in the hands 



MONDAY MORNING 45 

of the potter, so are we in Thine, O God. Make us vessels 
meet for our Master's use. We lay ourselves in the dust 
before Thee. Subdue our proud and rebellious wills. Let sin 
have no more dominion over us : and songs of rejoicing shall 
for ever ascend to Thee from our redeemed and glorified spirits ; 
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, our Saviour. 

Amen. 



MONDAY EVENING-. 

Philippians iv. 7. — The peace of God tvhich passetk all 
understanding. 

THERE is a twofold peace. The first is negative. It is 
relief from disquiet and corroding care. It is repose after 
conflict and storms. But there is another and a higher 
peace to which this is but the prelude, a " peace of Gcd 
which passeth all understanding," and properly called "the 
kingdom of heaven within us." This state is anything but 
negative ! It is the highest and most strenuous action of 
the soul ; but an entirely harmonious action, in which all 
our powers and affections are blended in a beautiful pro- 
portion, and sustain and perfect one another. It is more 
than silence after storms. It is a concord of all melodious 
sounds. Have we never known a season, when, in the fullest 
flow of thought and feeling, in the universal action of the 
soul, an inward calm, profound as midnight silence, yet 
bright as the still summer noon, full of joy, but unbroken 
by one throb of tumultuous passion, has been breathed 
through our spirit, and gives us a glimpse and presage of 
the serenity of a happier world ! Of this character is the 
peace of religion. It is a conscious harmony with God and 
the creation ; an alliance of love with all beings ; a sympathy 
with all that is pure and happy ; a surrender of every 
separate will and interest ; a participation of the spirit and 
life of the universe ; an entire concord of purpose with its 
Infinite Original. This is peace, and the true happiness 
of man. 



46 SECOND WEEK 

With pains, and anxious cares, and griefs opprest, 
When shall the worn and weary spirit rest? 
Where shall the soul find peace, with sorrow riven ? 
Oh tell me, tell me, what and where is heaven ? 

I send my thoughts above, around, below ; 
Nor earth, nor air, nor men, the secret know; 
On earth no stable resting place I find, 
No spring of life to satisfy the mind. 

The mind ! how manifold, how deep its wants ! 
It asks, obtains, and yet for more it pants ; 
It pants, receives, and asks ; and restless still, 
At earthly fountains hopes its springs to fill. 

Father divine ! this fatal power controul, 
Which to the senses binds the immortal soul : 
Oh break this bondage ! Lord, I would be free, 
And in my soul would find my heaven in Thee. 
i 

My heaven in Thee ! O God ! no other heaven 
To the immortal mind can e'er be given : 
Oh let Thy kingdom then within me come, 
And, as above, so here, Thy will be done ! 

My heaven in Thee ! O Father ! let me find 
My heaven in Thee, my heaven within my mind : 
No more of heaven and bliss my soul despair, 
For where my God is found, my heaven is there ! 

PRAYER. 

O most merciful Father ! Before Thee would we bow down 
in homage. Thou alone art God, supreme and everlasting. 
In Thee do we put our trust. In our ignorance and feebleness 
we come to Thee, who knowest our want, and art more 
willing to give what we need than we are to ask it. We 
come not to ask that Thou wilt give us the wealth or pleasure 
of this world. We ask not that Thou wilt save us from the 
trials which it would be good for us to bear. Our heart's 
desire and prayer is, that we may be kept in the ways of truth 
and righteousness. May we study and practise what is right. 
May we grow in wisdom as we grow in age. May we learn 
the lessons of duty which Thou hast given us by Jesus Christ. 
May he be our teacher and pattern. We have done wrong ; 
O God our Father, forgive us. May we try to do wrong no 
more, but keep consciences void of offence. Let not our lips 
be stained by falsehood, nor our hearts be inflamed by passion. 



MONDAY EVENING 47 

But may we form characters that shall fit us for usefulness here 
so long as we shall live, and for a blessed immortality hereafter. 
And Thine shall be all the praise for ever ; through Jesus Christ 
our Redeemer, Amen. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 

I John v. 5. — Who is he that cvercometh the worlds but 
he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? 

WHAT stronger testimony can be given to the power of this 
principle of faith in Christ ? If it be sufficient to overcome 
the world, to give life throngh his name, to effect the Chris- 
tian legeneration, and a spiritual union with God ; to what 
purpose can it be insufficient ; to what work unequal 1 If 
this faith be weak, what faith can be called strong ? 

And that faith in Christ does do this ; that it strengthens 
the soul with such principles, and fills it with such resources 
that it does not need the world for its happiness, and is 
capable of resisting its allurements and its terrors, of rising 
superior to its sin and its misery, there are " clouds of 
witnesses." The apostles and martyrs who endured all 
things, and, in the midst of all, "sang praises unto God ;" 
and humbler Christians, in the depths of poverty and distress, 
yet cheerful, content, and rejoicing ; men injured, threatened, 
and persecuted, yet patient, serene, and uncomplaining, 
while they can appeal to Him who judges righteously ; men 
lingering in painful sickness, cut off from the engagements of 
life, their prospects blasted, their hopes disappointed, their 
props torn away, yet not cast down nor dismayed *, but 
finding, in the power of faith and heavenly hope, a 
compensation for their trials, and a victory over the world. 

Equally complete is their triumph over spiritual evil. 
They walk amid the deceitful disguises and fatal ambushes 
of sin, unseduced and unharmed. Though the passions 
within ally themselves to the solicitations without, and war 
against their souls ; though the constitution of their bodily 
frame, and the temper of their mind, the circumstances in 
which they are thrown, the company which they frequent, 
and the cares which occupy them, all combine to introduce 



48 SECOND WEEK 

some disorder in their spirits, — to allure or surprise them 
to what is wrong, and array them, even against their wills, 
in disobedience to God ; yet, over this fearful combination, 
against wdiich unassisted man might combat in vain, these 
men of faith triumph. " God hath given them the victory, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ." Faith, where its dominion 
is established in the soul, acts, like some superior charm, to 
quell the inferior nature, and awe the rebellious passions to 
submission. It brings up to them the image of the glorious 
Master to whom they are bound ; of the holy God, who is 
watching, that He may judge them; of the future world, 
w r hose inheritance depends on their purity ; and of all the 
misery and horrors which follow in the train of unsubjected 
passions and voluntary sin. These press upon their minds 
with united and intuitive operation ; and, with the spon- 
taneous indignation of the patriarch, they put the temptation 
to flight with the cry, "How can I do this great wickedness 
and sin against God ?" 

Have I acknowledged Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, 
so heartily, that he is really and habitually my master, and 
that his authority rules and controuls me in all things ? — so 
that this faith works by love, purifies my heart, and over- 
comes the world. Is it in me the parent of holy desires, 
pure dispositions, good living, and earnest aspirations after 
the excellence and the bliss of heaven ? It is for these 
qualities that faith is valuable. It is by these that it works 
out our salvation. It is this efficacy in reforming, purifying, 
elevating, spiritualizing the human character, that constitutes 
the glory of the gospel. When it has done this, it has 
accomplished its great work. If it be doing this for me, 
I may be satisfied that it is neither fatally erroneous, nor 
weak. But if it be pure as that of angels, and yet do not 
display this moral power, it is no better than "sounding 
brass, and a tinkling cymbal." 

Thou, who did stoop below 

To drain the cup of woe, 
Wearing the form of frail mortality ; 

Thy blessed labours done, 

Thy crown of victory won, 
Hast passed from earth, — passed to thy home on high. 



TUESDAY MORNING 49 

Man may no longer trace 

In thy celestial face 
The image of the bright, the viewless one ; 

Nor may thy sen ants hear, 

Save with faith's raptur'd ear, 
Thy voice of tenderness, God's holy Son ! 

Our eyes behold thee no!, 

Yet hast thou not forgot 
Those who have placed their hope, ..heir trust, in thee ; 

Before thy Father's face 

Thou hast prepared a place, 
That where thou art, there they may also be. 

It was no path of Sot ers, 

Through this dark world of ours, 
Beloved of the Father, thou didst tread ; 
And shall we, in dismay, 
Shrink from the narrow way, 

When clouds and darkness are around it spread? 

O thou, who art our life, 

Be with us through the strife ! 
Was not thy head by earth's fierce tempests bowed? 

Rahe thou our eves above, 

To see a Father's love 
Beam, like a bow of promise, through the cloud. 

E'en through the awful gloom 

Which hovers o'er the tomb, 
That light of love our guiding star shall be: 

Our spirits shall not dread 

The shadowy way to tread, 
Friend, Guardian, Saviour, which doth lead to thee. 

PRAYER. 

O our God aad Father, in whose sacred presence our soul 
bow down with deep awe and fear ; we turn to Thee ever, as 
our unfailing refuge, when earthly comforts die. In these 
hours of the soul's prostration ; when the deep-dyed sinfulness 
of our hearts shows its fearful hues ; when w T e sigh for repose 
of conscience, and find it not ; we confess our sins with shame 
and sorrow, and ask, in all earnestness and sincerity, for Thy 
forgiveness. Lord ! let us not ask in vain. Without the 
renewing influences of Thy divine Spirit, all our good resolu- 
tions become weak ; our clear perceptions of sin are darkened ; 
our memories of Thy past mercies are forgotten ; the world 
and the flesh obtain dominion over us ; and we sink in the 

F 



50 SECOND WEEK 

abysses of guilt and error. Oh, save us, save us from this 
wretched lot. In Thy light only can we see light. Thou 
hast revealed Thyself to us through Thy Son, that we should 
no more walk in darkness, but should have the light of life 
abiding within us. Without this, O God, our hearts grovel 
in selfishness ; the old man, with its decitful lusts, reigns over 
us ; and the fruit of our lives is unto the death of our souls. 
Create in us, we beseech Thee, that new man, which is re- 
newed in knowledge after Thine own image ; whose fruit is 
holiness ; whose end is everlasting life. Hear us, O Lord, 
and make us wholly Thine ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Amen. 



TUESDAY EVENING. 

John iv. 14. — Whosoever drinketh of the water that I 
shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall 
give him shall he in him a well of water, springing up 

unto everlasting life. 

THE holy Jesus asked water of the woman, — unsatisfying 
water; but promised that himself, to them that ask it, would 
give waters of life, and satisfaction infinite ; so distinguish- 
ing the pleasures and appetites of this world from the desires 
and complacencies spiritual. Here we labour, but receive 
no benefit ; we sow many times, and reap not ; or reap and 
do not gather in ; we gather in and do not possess ; or 
possess but do not enjoy ; or, if we enjoy, we are still unsat- 
isfied, — it is with anguish of spirit, and circumstances of 
vexation. A great heap of riches makes neither our clothes 
warm, nor our meat more nutritive, nor our beverage more 
pleasant ; it feeds thp eye, but never fills it ; but, like drink 
to a dropsical person, increases the thirst and promotes the 
torment. But the grace of God, though but like a grain 
of mustard seed, fills up the furrows of the heart ; and, as 
the capacity increases, itself grows up in equal degrees, and 
never suffers any emptiness or dissatisfaction ; but carries 
content and fulness all the way ; and the degrees of aug- 
mentation are not steps and near approaches to satisfaction, 
but increasings of the capacity. The soul is satisfied all the 
wav, and receives more ; not because it wanted anything, 



TUESDAY EVENING 51 

but that it can hold more, — is more receptive of felicities. 
And, in every minute of sanctification, there is so excellent 
a condition of joy and h'gh satisfaction, that the very cala- 
mities, the afflictions and persecutions of the world, are 
turned into felicities by the activity of the prevailing in- 
gredient ; for now that all pas ionate desires are dead, and 
there is nothing remaining that is vexatious ; the peace, the 
serenity, the quiet sleeps, the evenness of spirit and contempt 
of things below, remove the soul from all neighbourhood of 
displeasure, and place it at the foot of the throne, whither, 
when it is ascended, it is possessed of felicities eternal. 
These were the waters which were given us to drink, when, 
with the rod of God, the rock, Jesus Christ, was smitten. 
The Spirit of God moves for ever upon these waters ; and 
when the angel of the coven?. nt hath stirred the pool, 
whoever descends hither shall find health and peace, joys 
spiritual, and the satisfactions of eternity. 

Fountain of life and living breath, 

Whose mercies never fail nor fade ! 
Fill me with life that hath no death. 

Fill me with light that hath no shade ; 
Appoint the remnant of m\ days 
To see Thy power and sing Thy praise, 

Lord God of gods, before whose throne 
Stand storms and fire ! Oh what shall we 

Return to heaven, that is our own, 
When all the world belongs to Thee? 

We have no off. rings to impart 

But praises, and a wounded heart. 

Great God ! whose kingdom hath no end ; 

Into whose secrets none can dive ; 
Whose mercy none can apprehend ; 

Whose justice none can feel and live ! 
What my dull heart cannot aspire 
To know, Lord, teach me to admire. 

PRAYER. 

Great and glorious Lord our God ! Under the influence 
of the important truth that Thou hast a right to the religious 
homage of Thy dependant creatures, we would now present 
ourselves before Thee, to acknowledge Thee as the Author of 
every mercy, and to supplicate the continuance of Thy favour. 
At the close of another day, would we remember with grati- 



52 SECOND WEFK 

tude that great goodness which has heen displayed in its 
various comforts and enjoyments. Oh, teach us to grow in 
goodness, by a constant struggle with our faults and temper, 
and by constant prayer to Thee for help who alone givest the 
victory. Teach our hearts contented and humble submission 
to Thy will, though it seem to us hard to bear. Enable us, 
we beseech Thee, to fix our attention. Let us remember that 
our spiritual progress is greatly hindered by allowing the mind 
in prayer or religious meditation to run from one thing to 
another. Suffer us not to dwell too much on self ; and let us 
put far from us every mean and unworthy feeling. Suffer us 
not to waste all our thoughts on trifles, nor to indulge an 
anxious spirit. Preserve in us a deep sense of our account- 
ability to Thee for the manner in which we employ, not 
only every hour of our lives, but every faculty of our minds. 
Make us to feel the exceeding worth of our immortal souls. 
Make us feel that the salvation which we are exhorted to work 
out with fear and trembling, ought to be no light concern to 
us. Oh keep us from indifference to it. Keep us from habits 
of mind that would interfere with our attention. Suffer us 
not to waste our precious time in vain, frivolous and unprofit- 
able pursuits. Guard us in our hours of serious business, 
and especially in those of our professed communings with 
Thee, against the intrusion of any thoughts that would be 
unseasonable. Guard us at all times from thoughts that have 
in them the least shadow of a sin against purity, charity, or 
piety. Cast down every imagination within us that exalteth 
itself against the knowledge or Thee ; and bring into captivity 
every thought to the obedience of Christ. Hear us, we beseech 
Thee; and grant that there may be continually in our hearts, 
as well as now on our lips, glory to Thee, our God and Father, 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

Gen. xvi. 13. — Thou, God, seest me. 

AN habitual regard to God as the Disposer of events is 
essential to the comfort of life. A firm conviction, that 
whatever be our station in society, it is of God's appoint- 
ment, and that whatever be our talents, He is the giver 



WEDNESDAY MORNING 53 

of them, will be found no less essential to the due exercise 
and improvement of the various powers conferred upon us. 
Under its influence, we shall be preserved from all false and 
misleading views of the nature and end of human life, and 
of the value of the objects which solicit our regard : we 
shall gain clear conceptions of what we are required to do, 
in order to answer the design for which we were sent into 
the world ; and in the use and improvement of our oppor- 
tunities and means of usefulness, we shall be inclined to 
diligence and perseverance. We cannot be idle when we 
know that we are in the presence of our great Master. We 
cannot presume to waste or to hide our talents, if we be 
under the habitual persuasion, that He who has assigned 
us our task marks everv instance of neo'lio-enee : takes 
notice of every unprofitable hour we spend, and every useless 
pursuit in which we engage. Nor, on the other hand, if 
we be fully persuaded that our zeal and fidelity are not 
unobserved by His all -seeing eye, shall we be discouraged 
if they are not immediately rewarded, if our exertions be 
undervalued, apparently unsuccessful, or even requited with 
ingratitude. While we enjoy the unspeakable delight of an 
approving conscience, we shall be encouraged by the sure 
prospect of applause, more satisfying than our fellow mortals 
can give ; of a reward more durable than this world has 
to bestow. Our care will be to " occupy all our talents, ' : 
and, for the rest, to refer ourselves to Him who judgeth 
righteously. 

Whatever, then, may be the sphere in which we move ; 
in whatever measure wealth, or power, or understanding, 
or any other talent which may be employed for the good of 
others be dealt out to us ; whether our influence be extended 
or confined, our talents many or few, let us carefully 
remember, that, diligent or slothful, persevering or incon- 
stant, we are '•ever in our great Task-Master's eye." 

Sfeak with us. Lord, Thyself reveal, 

While here on earth we rove ; 
Speak to our hearts, and let us feel 

The kindling of Thy love. 

With Thee conversing, vre forget 

All time, and toil, and care ; 
Laborr is rest, and pain is sweet, 

If Thcu, my God, art here. 



54 SECOND WEEK 

Kere then, my God, vouchsafe to stay, 

And bid my heart rejoice : 
My bounding heart shall own Thy sway, 

And echo to Thy voice. 

Thou cailest me to seek Thy face ! 

'Tis all I wish to seek ; 
To attend the whispers of Thy grace, 

And hear Thee inly speak. 

Let this my every hour employ, 

Till I Thy glory see ; 
Enter id to my Master's joy 

And find my heaven in Thee. 

PRAYER. 

O God, make us to cease from man, whose breath is in 
his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted of? Oh turn 
our fear of men's faces into love of their souls* Let us 
esteem them as our fellow-servants in Thy work, and fellow- 
travelers to our long home. And where we cannot promote 
their duty and happiness, grant, O Lord, that they may not 
hinder ours ; and that, when we are not edified, we may 
not be corrupted by them. O God ! may we remember that 
Thou seest us. May Thy presence ever sway us more than 
the presence of men ; let us account it a small thing to be 
judged of them ; and, instead of being determined by their 
way or humour, let us regard our own conscience more than 
their opinion ; and do ail in Thy sight, heartily as unto 
Thee. Let it not be our aim to ingratiate ourselves with 
men, but to please the great Judge of all. Yet keep Thy 
servants, Lord, from giving scandal and offence to any ; 
that we may not, by pride and passion, by vanity and 
indiscretion, or by moroseness and uncharitableness, dis- 
honour our profession, or make the way of truth be evil 
spoken of. But help us, O our God and Guide, to walk 
circumspectly ; and to speak and act, with due consideration 
of all times and places, persons and circumstances. Enable 
us to behave ourselves wisely, and to guide our affairs with 
discretion : and so to go in and out amon? our fellow- 
creatures upon earth, as to preserve our integrity in Thy 
sight, and have our conversation in heaven, and still enjoy 
friendship with Thee and with Thy dear Son, our only 
Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



55 

WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

Hebrews xii. 9. * * The Father of spirits* * * 

WHAT thoughts of love and tenderness are wakened h\ 
the name of father ! He was my guardian and support in 
childhood ; he sympathizes in all my joys and sorrows; 
I can fly to him in all my troubles with the certainty that 
his arms are ever open to receive me. If I have gone astray, 
he rebukes me ; but the sorrow in his tone and manner 
shows how deeply he is wounded, and this touches my heart 
more than any punishment. 

Is that beloved parent gone to his eternal dwelling \ I 
feel that now, as ever, where he is, is my home ; — I have no 
abiding rest but there. All that I most treasure is associated 
with the thought of him ; — most of it I have had directly 
from him. 

If such are some of my thoughts and [feelings towards 
my earthly father — now no longer of earth and sharing the 
weakness of mortality, but next to be known personally to 
me as of heaven, heavenly, — what should be those I en- 
tertain towards the Father of my immortal spirit \ 

Christ only can lead us to the "-Father of spirits ; " and, 
through him, the sure word of revelation has declared to us 
that all that is most beautiful and good in the earthly 
relationship exists in perfection in the heavenly one. I feel 
that every thing I truly enjoy is spiritual. Let me, then, 
thank the Father of my spirit for it. 1 constantly want 
aid and guidance and correction and chastisement ; the 
Father of my spirit will bestow it with all the tenderness of 
my earthly parent, and with unbounded wisdom. And if my 
joys and sorrows are such that I do not hesitate to tell them 
to Him, I shall feel them heightened, not indeed by human 
sympathy, precious as it is, but by their being blended with 
infinite love and perfection, by their being under the smile 
of the Father of spirits. 

Yet, do I hold daily and hourly communion with Him? 
Do I freely pour out my soul to Him 1 Do I tell Him my 
joys, and fly to Him in my sorrows ? Do I remember that, 
being the child of His immortal Spirit, I should walk in the 



56 SECOND WEEK 

spirit! Heavenly Father ! Thou only knowest ! search me 
and try my ways! chasten me in Thy love as Thine own 
son, that I may be partaker of Thy holiness. 

O my Father, may I seek only Thee, and to do Thy will ; 
so may my Heaven begin here, before Thou caliest me to 
Thy more immediate presence above ! 

Is there alone and dreary hour, 

When worldly comforts lose their power? 

My Father! let me turn to Thee, 

And set each thought of darkness free. 

Is there a time or* fear or grief, 
Which sees no prospect of relief? 
My Father ! break the cheerless gloom ; 
And bid my heart its calm resume. 

Is there an hour of peace and joy, 
When hope is all my soul's employ ? 
Mv Father ! still my hopes will roam, 
Until they rest with Thee, their home. 

The noon-tide blaze, the midnight scene, 
The dawn, or twilight's sweet serene ; 
The sick, nay, e'en the dying hour, 
Shall own my Father's grace and power. 

PRAYER. 

Blessed, for ever blessed, be Thy name, O God, for the 
glorious immortality which Thou hast made known unto us 
by Thy Son Jesus, our Saviour. Oh, teach us so to live in 
this world, that we may be prepared for its purity and bliss, 
when Thou seest fit to call us hence. Fill our hearts w T ith 
-n increasing desire to know and to do Thy will ; so that, the 
•more we know, the more we ma}^ desire to know of Thee, and 
so go on increasing in knowledge and love. And may the 
Spirit of Thy Son shine more and more within us unto the per- 
fect day. May we ever bear in mind, when w r e come unto Thee, 
that Thou knowest us better than we know ourselves. Thou 
knowest the longings of our hearts, the motives of our actions. 
Thou knowest whether we are anxious to take up our cross, 
and follow Christ. O God, we cannot deceive Thee, We 
submit ourselves wholly to the guidance of Thy Spirit. May 
we ever take our Saviour for our pattern ; and, like him, be 
humble, submissive, gentle, kind, determined to obey Thee 



WEDNESDAY EVENING 57 

even though we should be persecuted unto death. Blessed 
be Thy name for sending him unto the world, that through 
him we might obtain everlasting life. Oh, strengthen our faith; 
remove|our doubts, that we may go on steadily and firmly in 
the path which he has trod ; so that at the last, having done 
the work which Thou gavest us to do, like him we may say, 
"Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Amen. 



THURSDAY MORNING. 

John xi. 36. — Then said the Jews, Behold how he 
loved him I 

LET me, then, "see how Jesus loved," — what was the 
manner in which the kind affections were manifested in him. 
The hours when our Lord was alone with his disciples, or 
the family at Bethany, are those in which we can most 
clearly trace the principles by which he was guided in his 
feelings and conduct in private life, and the manner of 
their operation. Nothing in those hours cf social inter- 
cource is so striking as our Lord's habitual patient forbear- 
ance and self-restraint. The " twelve'*' had shown, by leaving 
their employments to follow him, such piety and sincerity 
of purpose, as had, with their attachment to his person, 
won his regard ; but these good points in their character 
were united with no small degree of ignorance, prejudice, 
and ambition. There is scarcely one of these friendly 
interviews, in which we do not find them giving him occa- 
sion for this forbearance ; and the superior delicacy of our 
Saviour's perception of right must have made them still 
more trying to him ; yet his meek affection was equal to 
the demands upon it. It operated also to prevent him from 
giving them present pleasure, or saving them from present 
pain, of a worldly nature. The disciples were not gratified 
with a miraculous gift of two hundred denarii to buy food 
for the fainting crowds, though th y were made happy by 
the honourable employment of distributing the ample yet 
frugal meal. Lazarus was not saved from sickness and 
dissolution, nor his sisters from sorrow, though he was 
eventually restored to their embraces and to life. His love 
to his mother was not permitted to detain him from public 



58 SECOND WEEK 

life, when the Spirit of Jehovah called him out to preach 
glad tidings ; though, before that time, his filial submission 
drew him instantly from the interesting conversation in the 
Temple, and prompted him to continue for many years in 
subjection to his parents. 

Thus was every feeling, word and action of our Lord, 
founded on love to God, producing conformity to His will ; 
— it. was the pure affection of a sanctified spirit for an in- 
finitely Holy Being. And this love to God at once gave him 
the direction, and determined the intensity of his love to his 
fellow mortals. His love to man was stronger than death, 
but not stronger than duty ; it was equally tender and for- 
bearing, unselfish and untiring ; and thus it was he loved. 

Here, then, is my pattern, in its principle, its direction 
and degree. Let me look into the state of my kind affections, 
and see how far they accord with those of Jesus ; for this 
self-knowledge will be requisite. Let me aim at a nearer 
resemblance to Him in these respects ; but for that, there 
must be self-government. Let me endeavour to know the 
extent of my deficiencies, — this will demand both humility 
and courage. Let me open my mind to an extensive survey 
of the various instances of kindness I have received in looks 
and manner, as well as in words and action, — this will call 
forth my grateful and earnest endeavour to return them. 
Let me not however, imagine that I can maintain and 
exercise those affections perfectly, if they are not habitually 
directed to Him who is most worthy of ail created beings 
to be loved, — the " Man Christ Jesus." 

Yes, my dear Saviour must I love 
Who first the generous feeling knew. 

His piety and purity will refine my affections ! his wisdom 
and truth and benevolence will chasten and direct my 
active endeavours to increase the happiness, and to bear 
and submit to the weakness and errors, of those I love. 

"See how he loved ! " exclaimed the Jews, 
When Jesus o'er his Lazarus wept ; 

My grateful heart the words shall use, 
While on his life my eye is kept. 

See how he loved, who traveled on, 
Teaching the doctrine from the skies ; 



THURSDAY MORNING 59 

Who bade disease and pain be gone, 
And called the sleeping dead to rise. 

See how he loved, who, firm yet mild, 
Patient endured the scoffing tongue ; 

Who, oft provoked, yet ne'er reviled, 
iNor did his greatest foe a wrong. 

See hew h" loved, who never shrank 
From toil or danger, pain or death ; 

Who all the cup of sorrow drank, 
And meekly yielded up his breath. 

See how he loved, who died for man ; 

Who laboured thus, and thus endured, 
To finish the all-gracious plan, 

Which life and heaven to man secured. 

And shall such love not meet return ? 

Not prompt the conduct, move the breast? 
Shall not my grateful bosom burn, 

To prove my love by every test? 

Yes '. my dear Saviour will I love, 
Who every generous feeling knew ; 

Bis faithful follower ever prove, 
And keep his pattern still in view. 

PRAYER. 

O God, our Heavenly Father, how great have been the 
offers of Thy mercy unto the children of men by Thy Son 
Jesus Christ. May we not receive the grace of God in vain. 
Thou Thyself hast deigned to beseech us ; Christ hath died 
for us. Shall his example and sufferings, and Thy invitations, 
O God, be unheeded by us ? Oh quicken our hearts with 
thankfulness, love, and devoted zeal ; and enable us to offer 
up ourselves body and soul to Thee, the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. May we be his true followers. He 
hath said "Whosoever will be my disciple, let him deny him- 
self and take up his cross and follow me." And is any cross 
of ours equal to the cross of Christ ? Shall our love of Christ 
be so feeble an emotion that it will encounter no difficulty, 
that it will make no sacrifice ? Oh let us never shrink from 
a faithful allegiance unto our blessed Saviour. Hath he not 
promised all needful help to those who seek it in faith ? Shall 
we not be enabled to bear and do all things in his spirit ? 
And have we not the blessed assurance that nothing shall ever 
separate us from Thy love to us in Christ Jesus ? May we 
feel that this world is not our portion ; — that it must not have 



60 SECOND WEEK 

our hearts. May all we possess, — our time, our thoughts, 
our energies, our worldly means, be consecrated entirely unto 
Thee our God ; and may we with Thy gracious help, go on 
from strength to strength, from glory to glory, till mortality 
is swallowed up of life ; through him that died, and rose again, 
and that sitteth at Thy right hand for evermore. Amen. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 

Job xiv, 1. — Man that is born of a woman is of few 
days and full of trouble. 

THEN moderate thy desires and chasten thine affections, and 
reckon not on a long life exempted from evil. Summon 
all thy courage, fortitude, and patience. Arm thyself with 
the virtues of a good man. Keep thy heart and conscience 
pure, so that, whatever trouble there is without, there may 
be joy within ; and though thou art in the midst of storms 
and tempests, a sweet calm may reign in thy bosom. If 
thou walkest with God uprightly, thou wilt walk surely. 
It will be thy shield and great rew T ard. 

Murmuring will not dispel thy doubts ; repining will not 
ease thy trouble; impatience will not miligate thy pain ; 
and to fear death will not retard its coming, nor diminish 
its sorrows. 

Are thy days few \ Then w T ait and endure patiently till 
the end come. Waste not thy precious time. Are thy 
days full of trouble \ Be reconciled then to the thought of 
dying ; but first prepare to die the death of the righteous. 
Short as is thy stay here, it is long enough, if thou art 
faithful, for all the duties and work required of thee ; and 
full of trouble as is human life, there is in the gospel open- 
ed to thee an unfailing source of relief, and of joy. Hast 
thou ever repaired to this source! If thou hast not, let me 
expostulate with thee. Why all these expressions and signs 
of sorrow, if thou art not desirous of comfort ? And if thou 
wouldest be comforted, why dost thou turn a deaf ear to 
the soothing voice of him who invites thee to come to him 
and be happy \ Thou art informed, and thou hast found it 
so, that in the world there is tribulation : why wilt thou 



THURSDAY EVENING 61 

still cling to it, and neglect him in whom thou mightest 
have peace, and also a faith which would enable thee to 
overcome the world ? 

I would not live always ; I ask not to stay 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way. 
I would not live always ; no, welcome the tomb ! 
Since Jesus has lain there, I dread not its gloom. 

Who, who would live always ? away from his God, 
Away from yon heaven, that blissful abode, 
Where rivers of pleasure flow o'er the bright plains, 
And the noon-tide of glory eternally reigns ? 

Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet, 
Their friends and their kindred transported to greet; 
Where the streams of their rapture unceasingly roll, 
And the smile of the Lord is the peace of the soul ? 

PRAYER. 

Lord and Father ! In Thee only is the fountain of life. 
In Thy presence alone trouble passes away, and afflictions he- 
come sweet. We would not desire to find joy apart from Thee, 
nor peace in following our own ways. Thou hast declared 
that the wages of sin is death, and we feel that it is so. 
When we repine and are fretful, we know that our hearts 
love not Thee in Thy dealings. Father ! give us life in Thy 
light and love. May eternal life abide within us ; so that 
sorrow and discontent and evil desires and all perishable 
things shall be swallowed up in the intensity of our spiritual 
affections, and shall give place to heavenly purposes and 
hopes. And in the times of deep affliction, when the flesh 
is weak through manifold trials, and the heavy hand of suf- 
fering is laid upon us, and the burden of past remembrance 
adds bitterness to our gloom ; then, O Father, be Thou 
especially near us to deliver us from cur wickedness, and to 
save us through the mighty power of Thy spiritual strength. 
Thus be Thou our support, so long as Thou hast work of 
active or patient service for us, in this imperfect being : and 
when Thou hast done with us here, and callest us to the 
unseen world, may we not feel that we are losing that which 
has hitherto been our life, but that we are finding that 
which before we had enjoyed in part only ; — even Thy 
perfect love, Father, in the eternal kingdom of Thy blessed 
Son, our Redeemer. Amen. 

G 



62 

FRIDAY MORNING-. 

II Cor. v. 7. — For we walk by faith, not by sight- 

"WE walk by faith," says the apostle, and "not by sight.' 
We are guided by the things eternal, rather than by the 
things temporal. We pursue the realities, rather than the 
shadows. We fasten our hold on that which is permanent, 
rather than on that which our sight itself may tell us is 
passing away. In the concerns of our souls, we regard the 
Author of our souls, and not the enemies of our souls. 
We strive to conform our conduct to the. commandments 
of God, rather than to the custom of the time. We keep 
our hearts fixed on the world which is to come, and the 
glories which will be revealed, rather than on the present 
world, which soon will be no more, and its objects, which 
will soon vanish from our eyes. This is the declaration 
of St. Paul ; and the way which he adopts and announces, 
is the only true, and rational, and living way. The Christian 
has far more reason, moie evidence, and better authority 
for walking by faith, in the path of conduct, and the re- 
gulation of life, than they who question or wonder at him 
can have for walking by sight. In his turn, he may question 
and wonder at them. Why, he may ask, do you walk by 
sight ? Why, formed to look upward, are you continually 
bending your spirit towards earth ? Why do you confine 
your hope, that divine and soaring faculty, to fleeting objects, 
which perish while you pursue them ? Why do you bind your 
affections so tightly to things, which, though visible, are 
visibly withering ; and which, even if they should remain, 
cannot follow you, cannot be taken with you out of the 
world ? Why do you look for your friends among the dead, 
as if the clods of the valley could bury goodness, or hide and 
cover sin ? Are you yourselves going nowhere but to the grave, 
which necessarily bounds and terminates every earthly pro- 
spect ? Alas ! that all your sight, that all your evidence, 
should be shut up there ; should end by conducting you 
there ! Is there no God, no Christ, no resurrection, no 
immortality ? Is the short life of sense more worthy than 
the eternal life of the soul ? Oh ! why do you walk by 
sisfnt ? 



FRIDAY MORNING 63 

Do I walk by faith \ Do I walk as if there were other 
things in existence besides what I see, and of far more glory 
and desireableness than w'-at I behold with my mortal sight ? 
Do I walk as if Christ had risen from the dead and revealed 
another world to my soul, in comparison with which this 
world is nothing ; but in preparation for which this world 
is everything ! Let me ponder with myself that question. 
And let me remember that the question is not, whether I 
merely believe in God, in Christ, in the unseen and spiritual 
world ; but whether I mould my dispositions, my purposes, 
my actions, after the image of that belief; not merely 
whether I have faith, but more especially whether I walk 
by faith ; whether, believing in God, I walk in the way 
of His commandments ; whether, believing in Christ, I walk 
as he walked, in benevolence, self-denial, and piety : whether, 
believing in his resurrection, I acknowledge its power, and 
rise from sin, and set my affections on things above. 



Give to the winds thy fears ; 

Hope, and be undismayed ; 
God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears, 

God shall lift up thy head. 

Through waves, through clouds and storms, 

He gently clears thy way : 
Wait thou his time ; so shall the night 

Soon end in joyous day. 

He every where hath sway, 
And all things serve His might; 

His every act pure blessing is ; 
His paths unsullied light. 
When He makes bare his arm, 
What shall His work withstand ? 

When He His people's cause defends, 
Who, who shall stay His hand ? 

Leave to His sovereign sway, 

To choose and to command ; 
With wonder filled, thou then shalt own 

How wise, how strong His hand. 

Thou comprehend'st Him not : 

Yet earth and heaven tell — 
God sits as sovereign on the throne ; 

He ruleth all things well. 



64 SECOND WEEK 

Thou see'st our weakness, Lord ! 

Our hearts are known to Thee; 
Oh lift Thou up the sinking hand, 

Confirm the feeble knee ! 

Let me, in life and death, 

Boldly Thy truth declare; 
And publish, with my latest breath, 

Thy love, and guardian care. 

PRAYER. 

O Gracious Father, keep us now through Thy Holy 
Spirit. — Keep our hearts soft and tender, now in health and 
in the midst of the bustle of the world ; keep the thought 
of Thyself present to us, as our Father in Jesus Christ. 
And keep alive in us a spirit of love and meekness to all men, 
that we may he at once gentle and active and firm. Oh 
strengthen ns to hear pain or sickness, or clanger, or what- 
ever Thou shalt be pleased to lay upon us as Christ's sold- 
iers and servants ; and let our faith overcome the world 
daily. Strengthen our faith that we may be able to realize 
to our minds the things after death, and Thyself. Oh save 
us from our sins, and from ourselves ; and keep us ever 
Thine through Jesus Christ. Hear our prayers, O Lord, 
for our dear relations, our kind friends, our household, and 
for all committed to our care. Perfect and bless the work 
of thy Spirit in the hearts of Thy people, and may Thy. 
kingdom come ; and Thy will be done in earth as in Heaven* 
We pray for this and for all Thou seest that we need, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 

Jeremiah xxxi. 18. — Turn thou me, and I shall be turned. 

IS this truly and earnestly my prayer? Do I sincerely 
desire to be turned? Do I feel my own inability, unaided, to 
work the great change of heart which God requires, which 
my own soul longs after ? Father, Thou knowest. 

T continually feel my own weakness, and 1 know that this 
weakness in great part arises from not resting firmly and 
constantly on my Father's arm, from not being girt with the 
armour of faith. Do I pray from my inmost soul, " Out of 



FRIDAY EVENING 60 

weakness make me strong ?" I have daily and humiliating 
proofs of the evil that is in me. I see my best resolves, my 
highest aspirations stifled by unholy passions ; my purest 
actions sullied by self-seeking. Is my sincere and earnest 
supplication, "Give me a clean heart, O God, and renew a 
right spirit within me V 

He ever heareth prayer ; faint and lowly though it be. 
He will give it an answer of peace, though it may be very 
different from that which we should, in our ignorance, have 
desired. But He does send it ; let me receive it humbly and 
thankfully as a token of His love ; let me be ready to be 
turned, when, in answer to my prayer, He turns me. Per- 
haps the messenger He sends to call my wandering heart 
back to Himself is in a form in which 1 scarcely recognize 
it as such. It may be the loss of property, of worldly con- 
sideration ; shall I harden my heart against it, and receive it 
with stoical indifference ? Oh rather let me humbly listen to 
its voice, warning me to set my affections on things above, 
not on things below, and meekly suffer myself to be turned 
to whatever God would have me to be. Perhaps friends 
have proved faithless, and instead of filling my cup of life 
with sweetness, have embittered it with heart-burnings, v\ it Lx 
unjust suspicions. This too is from God, who thus warns 
me to centre my highest trust and love in Him alone. Or 
my schemes of usefulness have failed, as it seems, through 
the perverseness and ill-will of those who should have been 
foremost to aid them. Even this is an answer to my prayer ; 
God would so teach me to be a more humble labourer in His 
vineyard, — to sow and plant diligently, and leave it to Him 
to give the increase in His own good time. It may be that 
God visits me with a grievous sickness ; the burden of the 
flesh becomes very heavy, and, without the sure faith that it 
comes from my Father, I might desire for myself that I 
should die. Let me even now, in my sorest agony, thank 
my God that He is thus turning me. It is thus that He 
breaks my proud spirit ; it is thus that He opens my soul to 
the tender influence of love ; thus does He make me feel 
the nothingness of all but Him ; thus does He turn me to 
Himself. 

O my Father ! my prayers are very weak ; my best re- 
solves are but as the morning dew, which soon passeth away. 



66 SECOND WEEK 

Quicken Thou me with Thy Spirit ; answer my prayers not 
after my own erring desires, but after Thy own perfect wis^ 
dom and love, and finally receive me to Thyself, to be one 
with Thee ! 

From the recesses of a lowly spirit 

My humble prayer ascends — O Father ! hear it ! 

Upsoaring, on the wings of fear and meekness, 

Forgive its weakness. 
I know, I feel, how mean and how unworthy 
The trembling sacrifice I pour before Thee ; 
What can I offer in Thy presence holy, 

But sin and folly ? 

For in Thy sight, who every bosom viewest, 
Cold are our warmest vows, and vain our truest; 
Thoughts of a harrying hour ; our lips repeat them, 
Our hearts forget them. 

We see Thy hand— it leads us, it supports us ; 
We hear Thy voice — it counsels and it courts us ; 
And, then we turn away— and still Thy kindness 
Pardons our blindness. 

And still Thy rain descends, Thy sun is glowing ; 
Fruits ripen round, flowers are beneath us blowing, 
And, as if man were some deserving creature, 

Joys cover nature. 
Oh how long suffering, Lord ! but Thou delightest 
To wiu with love the wandering. Thou invitest 
By smiles of mercy, — not by frowns or terrors, 
" Man from his errors. 

Who can resist Thy gentle call— appealing 
To every generous thought, and grateful feeling ;— 
That voice paternal — whispering, watching ever ? — 
My bosom ? — Never. 

Father and Saviour ! plant within this bosom, 
These seeds of holiness : and bid them blossom, 
In fragrance and in beauty bright and vernal, 
And spring eternal. 

Then place them in those everlasting gardens, 
Where angels walk, and seraphs are the wardens ; 
Where every flower that creeps through death's dark portal 
Becomes immortal. 

PRAYER. 
Father of mercies, who graciously bestoweth Thy Holy 
Spirit on such as seek it in sincerity and truth ; grant that 



FRIDAY EVENING 67 

we may come before Thee at this time in a right frame of 
mind ; and do Thou help us effectually against our sins and 
infirmities. heavenly Father, leave us not, we pray 
Thee, to ourselves ; but be pleased yet to move us to the 
love and obedience of whatever Thou dost command. Thou 
knowest, Searcher of hearts, how we fear and distrust" our- 
selves. Oh bring us, through Christ our Redeemer, unto 
Thyself, by whatever means Thou shalt deem best ; that we 
may yield ourselves entirely to the influence of Thy Holy 
Spirit. Make us earnest and faithful, that we may do our 
part in the great work of the soul's salvation. May we not 
shrink from whatever Thou shalt require at our hands. Oh 
deign to remove from us this weakness, this indecision, 
this want of faith ; and grant that we may serve Thee 
with entire love and trust and devotedness to duty. We 
would love Thee, our God and Father, with all our heart, 
and mind, and soul, and strength. Oh may we love Thy 
Son, our Saviour, and his blessed work : and may we prefer 
him and his cross, before all that this world can offer. 
"Breathe, O God, the spirit of holiness into our spirits, and 
make us truly and solely devoted unto Thee. Let us through 
Christ be Thine in every purpose of our souls ; Thine in 
all our thoughts, and plans ; thine in all our labours for 
ourselves or for others ; Thine in our intercourse with our 
family, our friends, and the world ; Thine in every joy, in 
every sorrow ; Thine in all the changes of life, in the hour 
of death, and in eternity. Amen. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 

Mark x. 50. — And he, casting away his garment, ?*ose 
and came to Jesus, 

JESUS called the blind Bartimasus. He hesitated not 
one moment ; he threw away every incumbrance ; he rose 
from the posture of hopeless indolence ; and hastened to him 
who was strong to save. Has Jesus never called us? When, 
indeed, has he not called us ? He calls us to our prayers, — - 
"Seek, and ye shall find, — ask the Father in my name." 
He calls us to his feast, — "This do in remembrance of me.' 1 



68 SECOND WEEK 

Yet are we even willing to approach? We are sitting : if 
he would come to us we might receive him ; hut we will not 
rise, still less will we cast away our garments ; and any 
mantle of pride, any habit of indolence, is enough to keep 
us from him. The blind man was ready to come when 
Christ called, because he had been very forward in calling 
on Christ. He knew his need, and welcomed his physician. 
As for us, instead of calling loudly on Christ, by summon- 
ing to our aid the blessed promises of his word, we suffer him 
to call loudly on us. We allow conscience, time after time, 
to repeat to us the invitations of the Gospel, and all in vain. 
We rebuke it ; we bid it hold its peace ;* and here we are, 
still blind, still sitting on the ground ; and Christ, meanwhile, 
having long invited us, is leaving us. One warning of Pro- 
vidence after another breaks, unheeded, on our ears. We 
turn ourselves in our mantle, and become deaf as well as 
blind ! 

Lord ! we sit and cry to Thee, 
Like the blind beside the way ; 

Make our darkened souls to see 
The glory of Thy perfect day; 

Lord ! rebuke our sullen night, 

And give Thyself unto our sight. 

Lord ! we do not ask to gaze 

On our dim and earthly sun ; 
But the light that stilJ shall blaze 

When every star its course hath run ; 
The glory of Thy blest abode, 
The uncreated light of God. 

PRAYER. 
Have pity on us, O our Father ! Thou greatest, most 
merciful of Beings ! Thou, who art everywhere present, 
look on us as we sit by the way. Show us the path that 
Jesus hath trod, that we may rise and follow him unto Thee ! 
Let us not frustrate Thy merciful designs by our own care- 
lessness and ingratitude. Give us a just sense of our 
un worthiness, folly and guilt. What we know not, do 
Thou teach as ; and whereinsoever we have done iniquity, or 
acted contrary to any of the laws of piety, truth, charity, 
purity, or sobriety, may we do so no more. Let no vain 
thoughts or corrupt imaginations, be harboured in our minds. 
* Matthew xx. 31. 



SATURDAY MORNING 69' 

Let us not give way to any unruly passions, or inordinate 
affections. Let us set a watch at the door of our lips, that 
we offend not with our tongues.' — Prepare us for all the 
occurrences of the day. Teach us to see and; own Thy hand 
in every mercy and enjoyment. Or, if Thou sufferest any 
affliction to befal us, help us, by a wise improvement of Thy 
chastisement, to become partakers of Thy holiness. May 
we daily walk with Thee in a course of holy living, so as to 
approve ourselves in Thy sight. Guide us, and all ours, 
by Thy counsel through life ; and afterwards receive us to 
glory, through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



SATURDAY EVENING. 

Romans xiii. 10.- — Love is the fulfilling of the law. 

LAW has no hold on our affections. It is an abstract 
principle, regulating our behaviour to one another. It makes 
an appeal to the mind for support ; and, if the mind had 
unbounded sway, law would be all powerful ; for what it 
commands would be perceived to be best, not only for those 
whom it appears particularly intended to protect, our neigh- 
bours, but also for ourselves. But man is swayed by self- 
love and by his feelings, as well as by his mind ; and these 
most commonly hold strong dominion over him. Hence, 
law is obliged to appeal to force to ensure obedience ; its 
present terrors compel obedience to the laws of man ; and its 
fears, though more remote, yet more awful, induce some 
degree of unwilling submission to the laws of God. 

Man seldom delights in the law ; he escapes from it when- 
ever he can ; and, while he obeys the letter, often neglects 
the spirit. He not unfrequently makes a cool calculation, 
whether the penalty of the law will be more than over- 
balanced by the pleasures of disobedience. 

But let love fill the soul, — love of God and love of His 
creatures, — how is every thing altered ! Love which consi- 
ders all around as other selves, will be as considerate of the 
welfare of others as of itself ; and a man will no more, by 
infringing a law, injure others, than he would willingly 
injure himself. He not only fulfills the law, with thankful- 



70 SECOND WEEK 

ness that lie has such a guide ; but he goes beyond it ; he 
anticipates its commands. Love cannot work ill to his 
neighbour ; the ends of law are already accomplished. And 
now, with respect to God, fear is no longer necessary to lead 
us to obey Him ; fear hath trembling, and we cannot tremble 
before one who loves us as God loves us, and who chastens 
us only in mercy. We seek to know His wil] more perfectly, 
that we may do it better ; and we love to do it, because it 
will unite us more to Him. 

What gratitude is sufficient for us to feel to our Saviour, 
who hath brought us into the state of children, not servants; 
who hath taught us to be bound to each other, and to our 
Father, in love ; who hath thus enabled us, even here, to 
have a foretaste of the perfect love and blessedness which 
eternal life will bring us ? " This is the message we have 
heard of him, that God is light." Ci This is the promise he 
hath promised us, eternal life." 

Oh may love grow brighter and brighter in us unto the 
perfect day ! 

Thee will I love, my strength, my tower ; 

Thee will I love, my joy, my crown ; 
Thee will I love with all my power, 

In all Thy works, and Thee alone ; 
Thee will I love, till the pure fire 
Fills my whole soul with chaste desire. 

Ah ! why did I so late Thee know ; 

Thee, lovelier than the sons of men ? 
Ah ! why did I no sooner go 

To Thee, the only ease in pain ? 
Ashamed I sigh ; and inly mourn 
That I so late to Thee did turn. 

In darkness willingly I strayed ! 

I sought Thee, yet from Thee I roved ; 
Far wide my wandering thoughts were spread ; 

Thy creatures more than Thee I loved ; 
And now, if more at length I see, 
'Tis through Thy light, and comes from Thee. 

I thank Thee, uncreated sun, 

That Thy bright beams on me have shined 

I thank Thee, who hast overthrown 
My foes, and healed my wounded mind ; 

I thank Thee, whose enlivening voice 

Bids my freed heart in Thee rejoice. 



SATURDAY EVENING 71 

Uphold rne in the doubtful race, 

Nor suffer me again to stray ; 
Strengthen my feet with steady pace, 

Still to press forward in Thy way ; 
My soul and flesh, O Lord of might ! 
Replenish with Thy heavenly light. 

Give to my eyes refreshing tears, 

Give to my heart chaste, hallowed fires ; 

Give to my soul, with filial fears, 
The love that all heaven's host inspires ; 

That all my powers, with all their might, 

In Thy sole glory may unite. 

Thee will I love, my joy, my crown ; 

Thee will I love, my Lord, my God ; 
Thee will I love, beneath Thy frown 

Or smile, Thy sceptre or Thy rod : 
What though my flesh and heart decay, 
Thee shall I love in endless day ! 

PRAYER. 

Thou, most tender Father, hast abundantly fulfilled all 
Thy promises to us. Thou hast been waiting to be gracious, 
and hast filled our scanty vessels with the sweet tokens of 
Thy presence. If we have not been satisfied, ours is the 
false want, that, in Thy love, Thou hast not sees fit to 
gratify. If we have not been holy, ours was the sin that 
chained us to ourselves, when Thou wouldest have had us 
walk with Thee and be perfect in following Thy will. 
Father, we have not loved Thee as we ought, and thus we 
have found Thy law burdensome to us. Oh burst the 
fetters of self-love, that have enchained our souls. May 
we embrace the new commandment of Thy Son with pure 
affection, and henceforth find the only delight of our lives in 
Thy loving service. To Thy never-ceasing care we commit 
ourselves this night. Watch over us in the helpless hours 
of sleep ; and watch over us, when we need Thy help as 
much, in the wakeful hours of duty. And so guide us 
through the scenes of this lower state, that we may reach 
the heaven of purity and love in the eternal home ; through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen, 



1-i 



GBLtMk S£ M 6 



w$ti !§«*< 



SUNDAY MORNING. 

Hebrews xii. 2. — Looking unto Jesus, the author and 
finisher of faith, 

MY God, in whom I live and move, and have my being, 
what is the wisest use I can make of the present life I 
What road ought I to pursue, in order most safely to attain 
the end of my existence! How can I most successfully 
prepare for a more perfect and happy state after death \ 
How different are the paths in which men walk ! How op- 
posite and contradictory are the maxims they follow ! 
Nothing is more common than to see them wandering into 
forbidden paths, and failing of the end they have in view ! 

1 need a sure and safe rule which I may follow without 
danger, and an enlightend guide in whom I may entirely 
confide. 

But where else shall I find either the one or the other 
unless in the heavenly doctrine of Thy Son Jesus Christ, 
and the example which he hath left us. Yes ! he is the 
way, the truth and the life." Would to God I might be- 
come every day more like him. 

The idea of Thee* his and our Heavenly Father, was the 
first and last thought that engaged his attention. To do 
Thy will with pleasure, to contribute to the execution of 
Thy benevolent purposes, to fulfil the work Thou gavest 
him to do, — this was his meat and drink ; this constituted 
his happiness, and was the governing rule of his conduct. 
To be useful to mankind was his avourite and constant 
employment. Compassion, benevolence, and charity, fol- 
lowed him every where, and animated all his discourses. 



SUNDAY MORNING ^3 

The purest virtue, and the sublimest piety, were his faith- 
ful companions in solitude, and in the intercourses of life. 
Never did he prefer his own ease and personal advantage 
to the welfare of his brethren ; never did he refuse his 
assistance to those who applied to him ; never did he defer 
till the morrow the duties of the present day, and thus 
lose an opportunity of performing some good work; never 
did he suffer himself to be discouraged by the ingratitude 
of men, or by the abuse they made of his favours ; never 
did he indulge the least complaint of a life so laborious, 
so sorrowful, and so entirely devoted to the salvation 
of the human race ; never did he regret, the time and 
labour he bestowed on his great work, even when his 
labours and good offices did not produce the effects which 
ought to have attended them. It was thus that he went 
about doing good, at all times, on all occasions, and to all 
men, to his enemies as well as his friends, in the most 
discouraging, as well as the most favourable circumstances. 
It was thus he passed the days of his short life, in the 
bosom of innocence, and in the exercise of virtue. All 
were consecrated to the glory of God, and the happiness of 
men ; all were full of good works, and marked by virtuous 
endeavours; all promised him a rich and abundant harvest ; 
and it was the remembrance of the good use he had made 
of them, which led him to say with a firm confidence, at the 
end of his course, "It is finished." 

And such also, O my God, is the use T ought to make of 
my days. I ought to continue Thy work upon earth, and 
supply, in some measure, the place of my Lord and Master, 
in the midst of my brethren. His spirit should animate 
me, his conduct should be the pattern of mine. What a 
grand and important vocation ! May I never lose sight of 
it, but run with resolution and constancy in the path 
which Jesus hath marked out, and by which he himself 
arrived at immortal happiness. 

Yes, I will look unto Jesus, and follow his steps with 
cheerfulness and perseverance. I will think and live as 
he did, be guided by his precepts and example, and make 
my felicity and glory consist in becoming mere and nione 
like him. 

H 



74 THIRD WEEK 

He knelt, the Saviour knelt and prayed, 

When but his Father's eje 
Looked through the lonely garden's shade 

On that dread agony : 
Messiah cried with suppliant breath. 
Bowed down with sorrow unto death. 

He proved them all, — the doubt, the strife, 

The faint perplexing dread ; 
The mists that hang o'er parting life 

All gathered round his head; 
And the Deliverer knelt to pray ; 
Yet passed it not, that cup, away ! 

It passed not, though th* stormy wave 

Had sunk beneath his tread ; 
It passed not, though to him the grave 

Had yielded up its dead : 
But there was sent him from on high 
A gift of strength, for man to die ! 

And was the Sinless thus beset 

With anguish and dismay ? 
How may we meet our conflict yet, 

In the dark narrow way ? 
Through him, through him that path who trod, 
The child of grief, — the Son of God ! 

PRAYER. 

For ever blessed be Thy name, O Father, for Thy un- 
exampled, love in sending forth Thy beloved Son into the 
world, that we might be formed to a life of holiness by the 
influence of his word and spirit. Suffer us not to neglect 
this great salvation ; but through a lively faith, may we 
effectually devote ourselves to him, in all the ways of holy 
obedience. May we learn of him to guard against the 
temptations which would divert us from a holy, benevolent 
and upright course ; or which would obstruct our progress 
in it. — Unknown and untried are many of the trials to which 
we are daily exposed : may w r e enter on this and on every- 
day with pious fear. May no irregular working of our own 
thoughts, or the violence of appetite, disturb the peace, or 
defile the purity of our hearts. Let no secresy betray us 
into any r sin, for which our own reflections would reproach 
us ; and w T hich Thou, w r ho seest in secret, wilt condemn. 
May we ever act under a sense of Thy presence with us ; 
and be governed by an ardent desire of Thine approbation. 



SUNDAY MORNING 75 

May we cast all our cares upon Thee, in a joyful persuasion 
that Thou, our Heavenly Father, carest for us : and may 
that peace of Thine, which passeth all understanding, fill 
our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Thus may we pass 
through the ensnaring scenes of this world, without being 
ensnared by them ; and meet the trying events of life, with- 
out making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. Thus 
may we finish our course with joy, and lay hold of that 
crown of righteousness which the Saviour will give to all 
them that love his appearance. Amen. 



SUNDAY EVENING. 

Revelations xiv. 3. — And they sang as it were a nexc 
song before the throne, 

POWERFUL emotions of joy seek for outward expression. 
This is one of the laws of our very nature. The expression 
will be suitable to the emotion. Grief pours forth its 
wailings ; joy is heard in the modulations of verse, and the 
sweet swells and cadences of music. One reason for this 
is, that thus our joy may be social. The shout of one warrior 
animates another. The song of one labourer cheers another, 
as well as himself, in their mutual toil. The song of victory, 
in one part of the field, stimulates the combatants where the 
battle is yet doubtful ; and the common chorus heightens 
the common triumph. In heaven all is social, all is action 
and re-action. There is song in heaven, because there is joy 
there ; joy too strong to be confined to the heart. It must 
not only be felt, but sung ; not only sung, but sung in united 
chorus, rising till the voice is "as the voice of many waters, 
as the voice of a great thunder." 

They sang "a new song." Every deliverance experienced 
by the saints of God calls for a new song. How much more, 
therefore, this, the final deliverance from earth ! Their sal- 
vation is completed, and they now s'ng, " To him that loved 
us, and hath washed us from our sins in his blood, and made 
us Kings and Priests unto God ; to him be glory and 
dominion for ever." Their song is new, as demanded by new 
blessings. Nor shall the song be new as to individuals only, 
but as to the whole glorified church. The church, even upon 



76 THIRD WEEK 

earth, has ever sung the mercies and the judgments of God. 
At the passage of the Red Sea, the construction of the taber- 
nacle, the opening of the temple, the people sang praises to 
God. As they went to their great festivals, they were found 
"coming to Zion with joy." So now. Every Sabbath hears 
the church singing her psalms, and hymns, and spiritual 
songs. And all heaven shall sing, when the millstone is 
cast into the waters, and antichrist is destroyed. And this 
song is new, because its great subject, Christ crucified, 
never waxes old. Even here "the people of God are satis- 
fied with his goodness ;" how much more when heavenly 
poetry modulates the verse, and heavenly voices attune the 
lay! 

Sing, Christian, sing ! for you ?'lone 
Possess the immortal power of song ; 

The God who formed you for his own 

Inspires your heart, inspires your tongue : 

What though your pilgrim journey lies 
O'er desert mountains, rude and wild ? 

The song of love which charms the skies, 
Has many a pilgrim's toil beguiled. 

Then, Christian, sing! fur soon the shade, 

The dreary shade which wraps the dead, 
Shall on your bosom, lowly laid, 

Shall on your silent lips be spread : 
While pity moves the heaving breast, 

While yet the tender tear can flow, 
Oh, sing the love that offers rest 

To man, the child of guilt and woe. 

Sing ! for these humble strains must cease. 

Lost in unutterable bliss, 
When, freed from sorrow, face to face, 

You see the Saviour as he is : 
When life, immortal life is won, 

The song of Hope no more can rise ; 
She breathes her last, her sweetest tone, 

Before the dawn of paradise. 

The voice of Faith and Hope must die ; 

And not to mortal cars are given 
The lofty hymns of victory, 

Unknown but to the sons of heaven. 
Yet have our pilgrim-lays the theme 

Which crowns their song of joy above ; 
In heaven and earth the Saviour's name 

Unites the eternal song of love. 



SUNDAY EVENING 



PRAYER. 



Thou, O Father, ruiest in heaven, and there we shall 
behold Thy glory. But here we are pilgrims ; here we see 
through a glass, darkly ; here we are too often in a land of 
captivity, where sin tyrannizes over us. And how shall we 
sing the sons;s of Zion in a strange country \ Blessed be 
Thy name, that, though Thou peculiarly iovest these Thy 
sons, who are ever with Thee, and surround the throne of 
Thy glory with a perpetual hymn of holiest adoration ; 
Thou dost not overlook us Thy servants, who are still strug- 
gling with the weaknesses and trials of mortality ; who, while 
we long for holiness, are still enchained by the powers of 
evil passions and temporal desires ; and who are often 
tempted to disbelieve Thy promises, from their very vast- 
ness and overwhelming love, though we pray and strive to 
follow him who is the great leader and finisher of faith. 
O Father, visit us, even us, with Thy presence and Thy 
peace. Cast us not off for our misdeeds, nor reward us 
according to our great unworthiness. But look in pity 
upon our frailties : let. Thine arm support us in our diffi- 
culties ; and let Thy Holy Spirit guide us into all purity, 
and truth, and love, and peace, and trust, and joy for ever. 
Heai us, we entreat Thee, for the sake of Thine own infinite 
mercy, which Thou hast revealed unto us through Thy Son, 
Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen. 



MONDAY MORNIKG. 

Matthew xix. 20. — What lack I yet. 

" IF thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." 
How little the young man understood the nature and com- 
prehensiveness of the law of Cod, is clear from his enquiry, 
" Which !" The Pharisaic Rabbis taught their followers, 
that if they singled out some one commandment, and scru- 
pulously and uniformly discharged it, they would, thereby, 
compensate for many neglects and transgressions of the rest. 
The principle is a bad one ; but it is only an extravagant 
statement of one of the most common sophisms of the 
spiritual life, — one by which men are continually influenced, 
and fatally misled, — one which applies to self-esteem, and 



/b THIRD WEEK 

makes it throw around the veil of self-delusion,— which leads 
to rest on modes of faith, on the punctual, frequent, snd 
fervent discharge of religious duties on the one hand ; or, on 
the other, on a rigid attention to the claims of justice, or on 
active efforts to promote attractive plans for human welfare, 
or on the exercise of compassion ; while pride and envy and 
uncharitableness rule in the heart, or while Christian sobriety 
and piety have no place there ; — while, on the one hand, the 
claims of social or domestic duty, or of personal virtue, are 
lost sight of, or very imperfectly discharged; or, on the other, 
the great principle of godliness is neglected, the regulation 
of the temper, and the internal spirit of the mind. 

In all ages there has been a baneful disposition, which, in 
some or other of its manifestations, we all more or less ex- 
perience, "to tythe mint and anise and cummin, and neglect 
the weightier mattersof the law," — justice, mercy, and faith- 
ful obedience. In all ages it has been found easier to erect 
an idol for self-worship, than to humble the spirit ; to give 
alms, than to exercise charity ; to correct others, than to 
rule oneself; to burn incense in the censer of gold, than to 
offer up the affections of the soul ; to sacrifice the costly 
burnt offering, than to present ourselves a living sacrifice, 
holy and acceptable unto God ; to build temples without, 
than to erect one within, to the Holy Being who is a spirit. 
And in our own day, it is found easier to rest on the right- 
eousness of Christ, than to practice the holiness of heart 
and life which he enjoins; to look for the kingdom of God 
without, than to seek it within ; ro assist in conducting the 
living waters to the minds of others and to distant regions, 
than to receive it permanently into our own hearts ; to aid 
in promoting the freedom of the slave, than to free ourselves 
from the slavery of passion, of censoriousness, of selfishness, 
of pervading worldl)-mindedness, which sends forth its var- 
ious entangling fibres and roots of covetousness, self-indul- 
gence, couceit and vanity, the love of pleasure and the pride 
of life. The work within must accompany the work without 
to render this acceptable to God ; yet, when the light of 
truth and duty is really burning in the heart, it is rarely, 
if ever, that it does not obviously contribute (effectually 
though not ostentatiously), to the well-being of others, 
present or eternal, in promoting, in different ways and 



MONDAY MORNING 79 

measures, the kingdom of righteousness- and love ; and 
happy, indeed, are those, who, while their talents or situa- 
tion in life give them the power to promote the welfare of 
multitudes, employ their power faithfully as a trust; and, 
at the same time, carry the principles which they desire to 
guide their means of usefulness into the regulation of their 
own hearts. 

O Thou, to whose all searching sight 

The darkness shineth as the light ! 
Search, prove my heart; it pants for Thee, 
Oh burst these bonds, and set it free ! 

If in this darksome wild I stray, 

Be Thou my Light, be Thou my Way ! 

No roes, no terrors shall I fear. 

Nor fraud, while Thou, my God, art near. 

When rising floods my sou! overflow, 

When sinks my heart in waves of woe ; 

Do Thou Thy timely aid impart, 

And raise my head, and cheer my heart. 

My God ! whene'er Thy steps I see. 
Dauntless, untircd, I'd follow Thee ! 
Oh let Thy hand support me still. 
And lead me to Thy holy Hill. 

If rough and thorny be the way, 
My strength proportion to my day ; 
'Till toil and grief and pain shall cease, 
"Where all is calm and joy and peace. 

PRAYER. 

O THOU Searcher of hearts ! Be pleased to impart a ray 
of Thy heavenly light, to discover to us the evils and infirm- 
ities of our past lives ; that henceforth no secret sin may be 
undiscovered in our hearts ; that, by examining our lives 
and conversation by Thy law, as the rule and measure of 
our duty, we may discern the true state and condition of our 
souls ; and that, from a just sense of all our transgressions, 
we may be enabled, through the assistance of Thy grace, to 
forsake every evil way and disposition, and turn our feet 
unto Thy testimonies. Make us careful in the examination 
of our own hearts ; and most severe against our own offences. 
Give us inward confidence to rely on Thy fatherly provi- 
dence : that neither fear may deter us, nor any advantage 



£0 THIRD WEEK 

turn us from the path of truth. Let not the specious good- 
ness of the end, encourage us to the unlawfulness of the 
means : but let Thy word be the warrant to all our actions. 
Let us shun whatever is wrong ; but never be induced to 
conceal falsely what wrong we have done. When censured, 
or our conduct mis-construed, enable us to check the eager 
spirit of self- vindication. Give us collectedness and dis- 
cretion to guide us in unexpected difficulties. Quicken our 
consciences to reprove our past failures. Let our hearts be 
in covenant with our lips ; and let both our hearts and our 
tongues be under the guidance of the law of truth, of guile- 
less simplicity, and of godly sincerity. And let us so walk 
before Thee in a course of holy living, that w r e may finally 
be made partakers of Thy mercy unto eternal life ; through 
Jesus Christ, our ever blessed Saviour . Amen. 



MONDAY EVENING. 

John xv. 5. — For without me ye can do nothing, 

THE case of the Apostles is our own case, with the excep- 
tion only of the peculiarities of their situation and mission. 
Without Christie can do nothing ; nothing in the concerns 
and ways of our highest moral life ; nothing in relation to 
those objects of faith and hope and duty, which he came to 
render clear and sure to the spirits of men. Without him, 
the soul is left without its support and guide. Without him, 
the soul struggles, but accomplishes nothing ; meditates, 
inquires, searches, but is made certain of nothing ; pursues 
various ends, but arrives at nothing. Without the "true 
light," it gropes and wanders in the ancient darkness ; 
without "the true bread," it hungers and faints; without 
''the true vine," it brings forth no fruit. 

When we turn to an examination of ourselves and our 
religious state, it is then that the conviction is most forcibly 
impressed upon us, that we can do nothing without our 
Saviour. We arrive at our most intimate, consoling, and 
elevating knowledge of God the Father, through his Son 
Jesus Christ. We acquire our simplest, clearest, kindest, 
and most practical views of duty, from him and his life. 



MONDAY EVNING 81 

We learn from him distinctly what is the acceptable worship 
and service which man is required to render to his Maker. 
We know, through him and his resurrection, what we could 
not otherwise have known, whatever we might have hoped, 
that we are immortal, and that we shall live after death, 
and for ever. By him we are brought into connection with 
that bright community of angels and sainted spirits, whose 
voices we hear on earth by faith, cheering us in our journey, 
and inviting us to the enjoyment of their society and his 
own, everlastingly in heaven. 

Christ is my companion and guide in the path of my 
mortal life, through all d fficulty and danger, always ready 
and efficient with his counsel, sympathy and assistance. Am 
I in doubt concerning some question of duty, some rule of 
conscience ! I have only to refer to his word, or his example, 
and my course is plain. Am I in peril from some lurking 
and besetting temptation, almost irresistible from the appeals 
which it makes to my weaker nature! One glance at his 
pure countenance, one touch of his invigorating hand, and 
I am my better self again, and have strength to spurn the 
assaulter away* Have I neglected to seek my helper in 
season! have I wandered from the right way! and do I 
at length see and deplore my fault, confused and ashamed ! 
I hear his voice, not repelling me by harsh accents, but 
gently accepting my repentance, and inviting my return. Is 
my heart deeply pierced by disappointment or any grievous 
sorrow! or is my flesh troubled by racking pain ! I look to 
the Man of sorrows, to the suffering Lamb of God, to his 
bleeding temples, to his agonizing cross ; and his wounds 
are the healing of mine. Do I stand by the bedside of a 
departing friend, feeling that I am wretched ; and that, when 
the final breath is breathed, I shall be more wretched still ; 
but striving to restrain my teas, in the fear of disturbing 
the last moments of one I love 1 Christ is with me where I 
stand, assuring me that my friend will not die, but only 
sleep ; and that I shall meet him again, and be parted from 
him no more. I bless the sacred accents, and my tears gather 
silently, and my bosom is calmed. And so when I come 
myself to the brink of the river, Christ will be with me then 
who has been with me always ; and the warmth of his dear 
and glorious presence will dispel the chilly vapours ; and 



82 THIRD WEEK 

he will lead me safely through. What, then, could I do 
without him ! How can I live, how can I die without him 1 
Master ! to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of 
eternal life. Thou hast said we can do nothing without 
thee. Son of God, it is true ! Saviour of men, it is true ! 
Thou art the vine, we are the branches. Our spiritual 
life is nourished and invigorated from thee ; and if we bear 
fruit, it is because we abide in thee, and still receive the 
vital streams which flpw from thee alone. 

How sweet the words, ami how benignly spoken 
By him whogs blessings age to age have bl:st : 

"All ye who labour, and are heavy laden, 
"Come unto me, and I will give >ou rest! 

" Come unto me, however great the burden, 
"Come unto me, I can its weight remove; 

"And from these scenes of woe and war transport ye 
"To fields of blessedness, and peace, and love. 

"Come unto me; a sweet and heavenly welcome 
"Waits for the weary, waits for the opprest ; 

"Come unto me, ye pilgrims of earth's valley, 
"Come unto me, and I will give you rest. 

" Come unto me, ye feeble and ye fainting, 
"Come unto me, dejected and distrest ; 

"Weeping and wasted, troubled and tormented, 
"Come unto me, and 1 will give }ou rest." 

PRAYER. 

Again, before we go to rest, would we commit ourselves to 
Thy care, O God, beseeching Thee to forgive us for all our 
sins, and to keep alive Thy grace in our hearts ; — to cleanse 
us from all indolence, pride, harshness, and selfishness ; and 
to give us the spirit of meekness, humility, firmness, and 
love. Lord ! keep Thyself present to us ever, and per- 
fectfjThy strength in our weakness. Preserve us this night 
and strengthen us to bear whatever Thou shalt see fit to lay 
on us, whether pain, sickness, danger or distress. So much 
sin in the world, and suffering ! and then the thought of our 
own private life, so full of comforts, is very startling when 
we contrast it with the lot of millions whose portion is so 
full of distress and trouble ! — May we be kept humble and 
zealous ; and mayest Thou give us grace to labour in our 
generation for the good of cur brethren and for Thy glory. 
Do Thou keep us by night and by day, and strengthen us 



MONDAY EVENING 83 

to learn and to do Thy will. — Do Thou keep our hearts tender 
when we feel better. Do Thou make us gentle and patient, 
yet active and zealous. How much good have we received 
at Thy hands ! and shall we not receive evil ? Let us not 
fall from Thee in any trial. O Lord, let us cherish a sober 
mind, to be ready to bear evenly and not sullenly. O Lord, 
reveal Thyself to us through Christ, which knowledge will 
make all suffering and trials easy. O Lord, may we join 
with all Thy people in Heaven and on earth, in offering up 
our prayer to Thee through our Lord Jesus Christ ; and in 
saying, " Glory be to Thy most holy name for ever and 
ever." Amen. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 

Romans xii. 12. — Continuing instant in prayer, 

WITH a heart disposed to love, to fear, to trust, and to 
serve God, let me observe the objects in which He is more 
immediately blessing myself individually, and those connec- 
ed with me, and consider the ordinary circumstances of every 
day ; then let me reflect whether they ought not to excite 
in me those frequent secret upraisings of the heart to God 
which are a fulfilment of the command, '"Pray without 
ceasing." 

Have I a comfortable habitation ? When I enter it, when 
I think of it, let me acknowledge Him from whose goodness 
I received it. Have I and my family health and abundance ? 
Let us rejoice in it as the gift of God. Do I retain the 
soundness of my faculties ! What gratitude do I owe for 
their preservation ! Am I blessed with the intercourse of 
friendship and love ? Let me thank Him who gave me 
friends and enables me to enjoy them. Have I children on 
whom I look with mingled delight and solicitude ? Let me 
acknowledge the goodness of God, and look up for His 
guidance and blessing, that I may be enabled to rear them 
to His glory. Can 1 pursue my daily labour? Let me thank 
the God of my strength. Am 1 feeble, or suffering under 
any disease ? Let me be strong in faith, and endure as see- 
ing Him who is invisible. Have I escaped any danger ? I 
would bless my Preserver. Has any one whom I love been 



84 THIRD WEEK 

rescued from peril ? Let me acknowledge the hand that 
saved him. Am I able to minister to the necessities of 
others ? Let me praise Him who has given me the means 
and the disposition. Do I see the deaf, the blind, the lame, 
and the diseased ; and think, with joy, that I am in health, 
and can see and hear and move where I will without pain ? 
Let my joy be that of gratitude ; and, with my sympathies 
for those that suffer, let my thanksgiving for myself ascend 
to Heaven. Do I enjoy rest after fatigue ; and do my 
hours pass in tranquil pleasure? Let me thank God for 
this season of rest and peace. Am I angry with another ? 
Let my prayer arise, (t Forgive me my trespasses, as I for- 
give others." Am I oppressed with the cares of a family 
or of business ? Remembering that I must give an account 
to God, let me ask* if they are ordered according to His 
will. Am I tempted to indulge any bad passion, or doubting 
concerning any dispositions or conduct! Let me remember 
that the eye of God is upon me, and seek from Him grace 
and guidance. Am I sensible of having wasted my time, 
or abused any talent ; of having spoken rashly, or acted 
unkindly ? Let me ask God to guard me in future tempta- 
tions. Do I feel a good disposition, and have I overcome 
a trial of my faith and patience ? Let me pray to God to 
strengthen what is right, and thank Him who has hitherto 
made me victorious. 

By thus habitually looking to God ; acknowledging Him 
in all circumstances and events ; committing myself to Him* 
and seeking His approbation in all my dispositions, indul- 
gences, and pursuits, shall I make every action an act of 
devotion, and thus be "Instant in prayer." 

To prayer, to prayer ! for the morning breaks, 
And earth in her Maker's smile awakes: 
His light is on all below and above, 
The light of gladness and li r e and love. 
Oh then, on the breath of this early air, 
Send upward the incense of grateful prayer. 

To prayer! for the glorious sun is gone. 

And the gathering darkness of night comes on : 

Like a curtain from God's kind hand it flows 

To shade the couch where His children repose. 

Then kneel while the watching stars are bright, 

And give your last thoughts to the Guardian of night. 



TUESDAY MORNING. 85 

To prayer! for the day that God hath blest 
Comes tranquilly on with its welcome iest. 
It speaks of creation's early bloom : 
It speaks of the' Prince who burst the tomb. 
Then summon the spirit's exalted powers, 
And devote to heaven the hallowed hours. 

There are smiles and tears in the mother's eyes, 

For her new-born infant beside her lies. 

Oh hour of bliss ! when the heart o'erllows 

With a rapture a mother only knows. 

Let it gush forth in words of fervent prayer : 

Let it swell up to heaven for her precious care. 

There are smiles and tears in that gathering band, 
Where the heart is pledged with the trembling hand. 
What trying thoughts in her bosom swell, 
As the bride bids parent and home farewell ! 
Kneel down by the side of the tearful fair, 
And strengthen the perilous hour with prayer. 

Kneel down by the dying sinner's side, 
And pray for his soul through him that died. 
Large drops of anguish are thick on his brow; 
Oh what is earth and its pleasures now? 
A.nd what shall assuage his dark despair 
But the penitent cry of humble prayer ? 

Kneel down at the couch of departing faith, 

And hear the last words the believer saith. 

He has bidden adieu to his earthly friends ; 

There is peace in his eye that upward bands ; 

There is peace in his calm, confiding air ; 

For his last thoughts are God's, his last words prayer. 

The voice of prayer at the sable bier ! 

A voice to sustain, to soothe and to cheer. 

It commends the spirit to God who gave ; 

It lifts the thoughts from the cold, dark grave ; 

It points to the glory w r here he shall reign 

Who whispered, "Thy brother shall rise again." 

The voice of prayer in the world of bliss ! 
But gladder, fairer, than rose from this. 
The ransomed shout to their glorious King, 
Where no sorrow shades the soul as they sing; 
But a sinless, joyous song they raise ; 
And their voice of prayer is eternal praise. 

Awake ! awake ! gird up thy strength 
To join that holy band at length. 
To Him who unceasing love displays, 
\l horn the powers of heaven unceasing praise, 
To Him let thy heart and thy powers be given ; 
For a life of prayer is a life of heaven ! 
I 



86 THIRD WEEK 

PRAYER. 

O Thou who hearest prayer, our Father and our God ! In 
the glad and holy light of this morning, we meet before Thee. 
Thou hast given us the sweet rest of sleep, and hast called us 
to rejoice in the blessings of the day. Thou art our constant 
Guardian and Benefactor. We praise Thee, and would lift 
up our voices in thanksgiving, to celebrate Thy lovingkindness 
and mercy. May Thy goodness lead us to repentance, and 
bind us to Thee in gratitude. May our hearts trust in Thee, 
and find peace. Fill us, O God, with Thine own Spirit of 
truth and love. Deliver us from whatever is false and evil. 
Strengthen our good purposes, and rebuke our wrong desires. 
Let us not be blinded by folly, nor be overcome by temptation. 
May it be our delight to do Thy will in the days of our health 
and gladness ; and if Thou shouldst call us to bear any kind 
of suffering, may we say, Thy will be done. Guide us by Thy 
counsel so long as we live, and prepare us for Thy judgment 
hereafter. We pray for those whom we love. May they be 
led in the paths of peace and salvation. May all men be taught 
the way of righteousness. Do Thou enlighten the ignorant, 
convert the sinful, comfort the miserable, and let all people 
seek Thee, and find Thee through Jesus Christ the Mediator 
and Redeemer. Amen. 



TUESDAY EVENING. 

Psalm xviii. 1. — I will love Thee, Lord, my strength. 

WHO are they that love the Lord ? To love Him truly we 
must first believe that He lovetli us. We feel His power ; 
we trace everywhere His wisdom ; we must also be fully 
assured of His love to each creature of His hand. And 
this assurance of His love must not be one of the under- 
standing merely. It must be engrafted into every faculty of 
our nature ; it must entwine itself with every affection of 
our heart ; it must be evident to us in every thing that is 
around us. When we, then, have truly faith in the love of 
God, ought it not to produce a return of love ? Can we 
do otherwise than surrender our souls to that love which is 
ever encircling us, even when we know it not ; Earthly 
affection is very preeious. We feel that love is the only 



TUESDAY EVENING ^7 

meet return we can make for love, here below ; yet how poor 
is the love that is offered us here, in comparison with that 
which our Heavenly Father freely bestows upon us ! What 
a return should we make to Him ! 

They that love the Lord, then, are those who, having a 
full confidence in His wisdom and power, have also a perfect 
assurance of His unbounded, unchanging love for us, which 
so blends itself with our very souls, that we devote to Him 
as a faint return, every thought, every wish, every affection ; 
that we withhold from Him no purpose, no aspiration, no 
desire ; that we lay our hopes and fears all before Him ; 
that love to Him influences all our actions ; in fine that we 
offer to Him the purest devotion of love of which our souls 
are capable. 

Now such must have great peace. Being convinced of the 
oower and wisdom of the Lord, "their strength," thev know 
that everything is ordered by Him, and must be so ordered 
as to accomplish the ends which He has in view ; and, being 
convinced of His love, they are assured that what He has 
willed must be for the well-being of His creatures. Now, 
peace results from this harmony of wisdom, power and love, 
for there can enter in it no discordant element. In pro- 
portion, then, as our love to God is perfect, we shall fully 
enter into His designs, and feel a calm and happy sympathy 
with all that He doeth, — which is peace. 

What causes the want of peace among men in general, 
and, above all, in our own hearts ? It is because we separate 
ourselves from God, and then all is discordant. We set up 
our own wills as the standard of our desires : and then they 
are crossed, and we are fretted, and seek to satisfy them 
everywhere but in the only true source. Our souls are out 
of harmony with creation : with the moral and spiritual 
world ; and thus evervthing jars against them. 

But let the love of God reign within us ; let it pervade all 
our motives and excite all our actions ; let it be shed round 
all that befalls us, or rather let us open our eyes to see it 
for it is ever there, — we shall have tranquillity and even 
happiness under every dispensation of providence ; we shall 
not be wearying ourselves out with impatient longings for 
that which it is not intended that we should have : but we 
shall find enjoyment in the present duties and employments 



88 THIRD WEEK 

which are before us ; and, above all, our souls will be filled 
more and more with that peace of God which He has vouch- 
safed here below to those that love Him, which is a glimpse 
and foretaste of that which will be perfect above. 

Thou hidden love of God, whose height, 
Whose depth, unfathomed, no man knows' 

I see from far Thy beauteous light ; 
Inly I sigh for Thy repose : 

Then fchall my heart from care be free, 

When it hath found repose in Thee. 

Father ! Thy sovereign aid impart 
To save me from low-though ted care I 

Chase this self-will through all my heart, 
Through all its latent mazes tture : 

Make me Thy duteous child, that I 

May raise to Thee a trustful cry. 

Each moment draw from earth away 
My heart that lowly waits Thy call ! 

Speak to my inmost soul and say, 
"I am thy life, thy God, thy all !" 

Thy love to reach, Thy voice to hear, 

Thy power to feel, be all my prayer. 

PRAYER. 
Give us, O Lord, Thy Holy Spirit; that our understand- 
ing and all our faculties may be resigned to the discipline 
and doctrine of our Saviour. Let our faith be the parent of 
a good life ; a strong shield to repel the asaults of sin ; the 
source of a holy hope, of modest desires, of love and confi- 
dence in Thee, and a never failing charity to all men. 
Whatever spiritual evils are yet remaining in our hearts, 
direct us to the knowledge of them, and the proper means 
of removing them. Whenever we wander from Thee, shew 
us our error, though it should be by Fatherly correction : 
let pain or sorrow, if needful, lead us home ; but never, oh 
never, leave us to ourselves. Carry us still forward, O 
Heavenly Father, by all the methods of Thy providence and 
grace, till we are prepared for that world, where we shall no 
more bewail the darkness of our understandings and disorders 
or wanderings of our hearts, but where we shall love Thee 
entirely, rejoice in Thee triumphantly, and celebrate Thy 
praises to all eternity, in the presence of our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING 89 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

Psalm xxiii. 4. — Though I walk through the valley of 
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, 

COMPELLED, as even the most spiritually-minded are, to 

bend their attention to the functions and feelings of the bodily 
frame, — dependent, as we all are, upon their healthy condi- 
tion, not only for physical comfort, but for the proper 
exercise of our mental powers, — it is not to be wondered at, 
that the thoughts should sometimes wander to a period when 
this watchfulness will be no more needed, — when the most 
anxious care will no longer avail to prevent the vital flame 
from being extinguished. The stiffening of the limbs, once so 
full of activity, — the closing in utter darkness of the eyes, 
once the inlet of so much light and beauty, — the muteness of 
the lips, so long vocal with thought and feeling, — the cold- 
ness, the gloom, the stillness of the tomb, — all will occa- 
sionally intrude themselves on the imagination, and excite 
apprehensions that these fearful changes must be preceded 
by mental and bodily sufferings of an appalling nature. 

If, however, we now and then glance at this picture, it is 
not one worthy of being dwelt upon by the Christian : — it is 
not a fit theme for the preacher or the poet to pass upon the 
Christian's consideration. 

Death is no accident of our being, it is an appointment of 
our Heavenly Father. God has taken this event into His 
immediate charge, and we may certainly know that whatever 
may be the terrors of its appearance, it is appointed in wisdom 
and in love. It is appointed by the same Being who opens 
our eyes upon the glories of this marvelous world, and is the 
Author of all the happiness we have ever enjoyed. A wise 
dispensation ordered by a Benevolent Creator, does not de- 
serve to be figured as an " enemy of the human race." At 
whatever season, in whatever mode death reaches us, it can- 
not come without the cognizance of that knowledge which 
precludes the supposition of error, or of that mercy on which 
every doubt and every sorrow may lean. The event of death 



90 THIRD WEEK 

is unalterably the appointment of our Father in Heaven, 
equally with His kindest and brightest dispensations. 

Ignorant as we are, through the merciful arrangement of 
Providence, of the time and manner of our dissolution, we 
shall be unwise to speculate upon that wherein we cannot 
arrive at any reasonable and satisfactory conclusion. Expe- 
rience shows that death is usually attended with less suf- 
fering than has been dreaded. The most painful diseases 
are not the most fatal ones ; and they who recover often 
suffer more than those who die. Death is often painless, 
often instantaneous. 

Nor ]et us shudder at the decay of our bodily organs when 
the liberated spirit has no longer need of their aid. The 
seed perishes in the earth while the young plant is rising into 
new existence. 

And why should the long sleep of death appal us ? Whe- 
ther the change from death to life be immediate, or the 
unconscious repose be that of thousands of years, to him that 
"falls asleep" there will be no sensible interval between 
death and resurrection, — the night of dissolution will be in- 
stantly succeeded by the dawn of eternity. 

And in that eternity to what a glorious scene will the 
faithful Christian awake i Re-united with the dearest ob- 
jects of his earthly regards, in a state where sorrow, and sin, 
and pain, and death, will be known no more ; — in fellowship 
with the wise and good of all who have existed in every 
period of the world ; — in the society of that blessed Saviour 
who has sanctified the* dark mansions of the tomb to all his 
followers ; — and admitted to more intimate communion with 
his Heavenly Father ; — how happy and how favoured will be 
his exaltation ! how wise, how merciful will he regard that 
appointment which conducted him through the portals of the 
tomb to such felicity ! 

" When the sun of my life sets behind the dark mountains, 
and that night has come to me which comes to all, I will not 
be depressed by its deepening shadows ; I will not dread its 
gathering terrors ; I will not shrink from its narrow bed." 
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me ; Thy rod 
and Thy staff they comfort me." 



WEDNESDAY MORNING 91 

O Christian ! to thy vows be true ; 

Be firm in faith, — in hope be brave : 
Contemplate not with coward view 

The dying hour, the silent grave. 

Chase from thy thoughts these groveling fears ; 

On nobler prospects fix thy gaze ; 
Turn from the vale of night and tears 

To heavenly scenes, to deathless days. 

Thy faith, thy hope can pierce the skies ; 

There, radiant with a light divine, 
The loved, the pure, the just, the wise, 

In holy, happy concourse join. 

There, freed from earth's oppressive load, — 
From all that grieves, — from all that taints, 

Behold them in their bright abode, 
A blest "Communion of the Saints." 

In nearer intercourse with God, — 

Rejoicing in their Saviour's love, — 
They little heed the gloomy road 

Which led them to their bliss above. 

Sweet their employment now to trace 
The mysteries that perplexed them here ; 

No clouds now veil the Throne of Grace, 
All that was dark is bright and clear. 

Christian ! oh fear not life's last breath ; 

To thee a favoured lot is given : 
The pang that dims thy eyes with death, 

Unseals them for thy birth in heaven. 

PRAYER. 

O Almighty Father ! Fill our souls with so deep a 
sense of the excellency of things spiritual, that, our affections 
being weaned from the. false allurements of sin, we may, 
with the prudence of a holy discipline and governed desires, 
with clear resolutions and a free spirit, have our conversa- 
tion heavenward. May we use Thy creatures soberly and 
temperately, that our spirits may not be rendered unapt for 
the performance of duty ; 01 our bodies, helpless ; or our 
affections, sensual and unholy. May no impure thoughts 
pollute these souls which Thou hast sanctified ; no unclean 
words deprave these tongues which Thou hast commanded 
to be the organs of Thy praise ; no unholy or unchaste 



92 THIRD WEEK 

actions defile these bodies, which Thou hast appointed to be 
the temples of Thy Spirit. — And when we have done and 
suffered Thy will here upon earth, with sincerity, though 
alas ! with many imperfections ; when we have finished our 
earthly course, and are drawing near to the gates of death ; 
may no unrepented sins rise up to our remembrance, and set 
themselves in array against us : and may our unallowed 
defects and imperfections, while they render us humble, 
deprive us not of peace and hope. Whenever we die, may 
we die in the Lord ; and be finally received, with all dear 
unto us, into those mansions where the sun shall no more go 
down, nor the moon withdraw its light ; where the Lord 
shall be our everlasting lio-ht, and the davs of mourning shall 
be ended. Grant this, we pray Thee, through Thine infinite 
mercy in Christ Jesus. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

Psalm lxxviii. 25. — Man did eat angels' food. 

TRULY was it angels' food which fed those children of 
promise in their long wanderings to the earthly Canaan ! 
They were following the pillar of God's providence, and 
His hand showered down on them from heaven pure nourish- 
ment ; He brought them meat on the wings of the wind ; 
He drew for them, from the barren rock, a stream of living 
water. Nor then alone did the Father of all provide for 
His children " angels' food." He made the ravens His 
messengers to His faithful servant, to carry him bread ; 
He fed not only him, but that faithful woman who had 
shared with him her last morsel ; He did not desert Elijah 
when, alone in the wilderness, his body was weak, his faith 
fainting, and he requested for himself that he might die, 
but sent His angel to him with food, in the strength of 
which he went forty days. How frequently was that chosen 
nation reminded, — and we, through it, may be so too, — that 
our Heavenly "Father knoweth that we have need of these 
things ; " that we not only have from Him our daily bread ; 
but that, if we are in the path He has commanded, when 
that fails, He will give us bread from heaven. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING 93 

And did he who came into this world to raise our hopes 
beyond it ; did he, the Holy One of God, forbid us to seek 
even the food which perisheth ? He himself felt pity for the 
multitude, when they were fainting with hunger in the 
desert ; and on two separate occasions, having first given 
thanks to the Father, he brake to them bread which earth 
had not produced. After he had himself put oft mortality, 
when his " children" told him that they had no meat, the 
waves, at his command, bare them food, and, for the last 
time, he brake unto them. 

The age of miracles is past: man has eaten "angels' 

O XT 3 c^ 

food," and has received nourishment for the body, in a direct 
and evident manner, from the hand of God ; we require no 
longer supernatural proofs to convince us, that "like as a 
Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
fear Him ;" we have the written record, the sure vord of 
testimony abiding with us. It is He who still giveth us our 
daily bread ; — the period of His parental care of us is not 
passed : — man still eateth "angels* food." 

But there is a holier, a more enduring bread, — that which 
is more truly "angels' food," — the bread from heaven which 
shall never perish. And still it is from our Father that we 
have this blessed food. He sent His well-beloved Son into 
the world, that, through him, we might receive the bread of 
life ; that from him we might draw of that pure well, which 
shall supply us, not only in our wanderings in this wilder- 
ness, but when we reach the Heavenly Canaan. 

Oh may we, the children of His love and grace, draw with 
joy from the wells of salvation ; may we eat with thank- 
fulness the bread that the Saviour has broken to us ; may 
we receive, with grateful hearts, the "angels' food" that Is 
given us here below, th it we may share it with glorified 
spirits above, in the presence' of our Father ! 

O hand of bounty, largely spread, 
By whom our every want is fed ! 
"VVhate'er we touch, or taste, or see, 
We owe them all, O Lord, to Thee : 
The corn, the oil, the purple wine, 
Are all Thy gifts, and only Thine \ 



94 THIRD WEEK 



The bread Messiah multiplied, 
The stream his word to nectar d\ed, 
The stormy wind, the whelming flood 
That silent at his mandate stood; — 
How well they knew Thy voice divine, 
Whose works they were, and onlj Thine ! 

Though now no more on earth we trace 
Such footsteps of celestial grace, 
Obedient to Thy word and will, 
We seek Thy daily mercy still ; 
Its blessed beams around us shine, 
And Thine we are, and only Thine. 



PRAYER. 

Lord ! We are indeed sinful creatures : but oh ! do not 
condemn us. Speak peace and pardon to our souls through 
Thy beloved Son, who died, the just for the unjust, to bring 
us to Thee. As weak and insufficient for our own happi- 
ness, strengthen us with all might, and be Thou the portion 
of our hearts. Should we earnestly pray for constant health 
and prosperity, we might implore a curse instead of a blessing. 
Should we pray to be delivered from all affliction, we might 
desire Thee to withhold from us the most wholesome correc- 
tion and the greatest mercies. Sensible of our own ignorance, 
and confiding in Thy w r isdom and goodness, we leave our- 
selves and all our concerns in Thy hands. Yet, in humble 
submission and trust, we would ask of Thee our daily bread, 
and whatever else is convenient for life and godliness. Be- 
stow upon us contented and thankful spirits. Endue us 
with that hope which purines the heart, which is an anchor 
of the soul, sure and stedfast, and which maketh not asham- 
ed at the hour of death. May we ever maintain such a sense 
of our frailty, and of the temptations that surround us, as 
may render us watchful and humble. May we avoid all 
appearance of evil ; and never cause Thy good ways to be 
evil spoken of, through our misconduct or our folly. May 
Thy grace, which bringeth salvation, effectually teach us to 
deny ungodliness and worldly lusts ; and to live soberly, 
righteously and godly, in this present world ; looking for 
the glorious appearance of Thee, the great God, and of our 
Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



THURSDAY MORMNG 95 



THURSDAY MORNING. 

Mark iv. 39. — And he aldose and rebuked the wind, and 

said unto the sea, "Peace, be still l!" and the wind ceased t 

and there was a great calm. 

JESUS is no longer by our side, in bodily presence to 
command the elements. The external world seems only 
incidentally to confess his presence. Yet amid the tempests 
of life let us still feel our Saviour near. Let us have faith. 
Tt is well for us not to doubt ; still if we doubt, let us pray, 
and doubt shall be turned to conviction. Christ still works 
wonders. Let. us pray the Father; and whatever we ask 
according to His will, the spirit of our Lord will enable 
us to perform. " Peace, be still !" shall be the answer to 
our troubled spirits. When Jesus stilled the storm, terror 
and awe filled the minds of beholders : but no alarm shall 
follow his workings now. Peace shall not always be without; 
but there shall be tranquillity within. Yet there shall be 
often peace without. When the love of God rules in our 
hearts, we shall be able to control the violence of others. 
The storms of passion may rage around U3 ; our ears may be 
harrassed with sounds of tumult and of passion. If we had 
faith, we could do something to quell the tempest. Our soft 
answers should turn away wrath ; we, who ruled our spirits, 
should be stronger than the mighty ; we should return good 
for evil, till the face of the world became changed. Oh that 
we could know, even we, at least in this our day. the things 
that make for our peace ! 

But we must have strength from within, if we are to 
operate successfully on that which is without. The peace of 
God, which passethail understanding, must keep our hearts 
and minds through Jesus Christ. We are not to be troubled, 
nor to be afraid, but to believe on the Father and the Son. 

Ah ! how much do we need this faith, even when we 
think we need it least. If we trust to our own strength, we 
find that it is weak as the frail vessel which offers but a plank 
to keep off destruction. We sail hopefully on the smooth 
waters ; we forget that they are deep as well as smooth. We 
think that our principles are firm, and that they will float us 



96 THIRD WEEK 

safely over the sea of life. We do not mark when they are 
giving way ; that temptation, like the deceitful waters, is 
stealing through them ; that our bark is gradually filling; 
that even, whilst all is serene above and beneath us, we may 
be sinking in the flood of pleasure, and be dead, while we 
seem to live. Or we may trust to the cloudless sky, and 
know not that the strong winds of passion, which are now 
allayed, may rise up again, and, opposing the current of 
duty, raise a tempest around us ; that the moon ma} with- 
draw its shining, and the stars refuse their lustre ; that 
clouds may blacken the atmosphere of our souls, and the 
light of conscience be overcast. Little do we know ourselves 
when all is calm around us ! Well is it for us, if Christ 
is always our companion, that we may in the time of peril, 
find him our aid ; that he may say to the stormy waves, 
"Peace, be still!" 

There is a storm which all must pass through ; the black 
clouds of sickness will gather round us, or the blasts of 
violence will dash our vessel on the rock. Let us not fear. 
We may sink, but we shall be borne in safety through the 
waves ; we shall be unconscious, but we shall first hear the 
soft, but commanding words, 6i Peace, be still !" We shall 
wake and find ourselves at our desired haven. Our feet 
shall rest on the shore, where "everlasting spring abides, and 
never- withering flowers." We shall look back on the wreck 
of our earthly hopes without a sigh. We shall be where 
storms can agitate no more ; where there is no briny sea, 
but pure fountains of the waters of life ; where there shall 
be no winds, but the blessed breath of heaven ; no clouds, 
but the clouds of glory that convey to the enraptured sight 
the fulness of divine love. Yet still the loved voice which 
hushed the tempest will be heard to whisper, " Peace, peace ! 
not as the world giveth, give I unto you !" 

Fear was within the tossing bark, 

When stormy winds grew loud, 
And waves came rolling high and dark, 

And the tall mast was bowed. 

And men stood breathless in their dread, 

And baffled in their skill ; 
But one was there, who rose and said 

To the wild sea— "Be still !" 



THURSDAY MORNING 97 

And the wind ceased, — it ceased ! — that word 

Passed through the gloomy sky ; 
The troubled billows knew their Lord, 

And fell beneath his eye. 

And slumber settled on the deep, 

And silence on the blast ; 
They sank, as flowers that fold to sleep 

When sultry day is past. 

O thou, that in its wildest hour 

Didst rule the tempest's mood, 
Send thy meek spirit forth in power, 

Soft on our souls to brood ! 

Thou that didst bow the billow's pride, 

Thy mandate to fulfil ! 
Oh speak to passion's raging tide, 

Speak, and say, u Peace* be still I" 

PRAYER. 

Weak, God, is man, when Thou forsakest him ; foolish 
are his counsels, when they are formed without Thee ; wild 
is his progress, when he wanders from Thee. Thou crossest 
our designs, that we may fear Thee ; Thou stoppest us in 
our ways, that we may know Thee. Thy checks are the 
symptoms of Thy mercy; Thy silence is the harbinger of 
judgment. When we look upon our former worldliness, 
we abhor the sinfulness of our hearts. Strengthen us that 
we may lead a new life. Make us increasingly sensible of 
our true condition ; and perfect us in the good work Thou 
hast begun. Let us never rest on an arm of flesh. In all 
our designs, be Thou our counsellor ; in all our actions, be 
Thou our guide ; and let Thy will and Thy approbation be 
our chief end. Vouchsafe to deliver us from our weakness, 
and to save us through the mighty power of Thy spiritual 
strength. Thus be our support, as long as Thou hast work 
of active or patient service for us in this imperfect being: 
and when Thou hast done with us here, and callest us to the 
unseen world, may we not feel that we are losing that which 
has hitherto been our life, but that we are finding that which 
before we had enjoyed in part only ; — even Thy perfect 
love, O Father, in the eternal kingdon of Thy blessed Son, 
our Redeemer. Amen. 



98 THIRD WEEK 

THURSDAY EVENING. 

John xi. 28. — The Master is come, and callethfor thee, 

BLESSED words these for the sorrowing, loving Mary ! No 
wonder that she "arose quickly, and came unto him." They 
who were mourning with her, and had seen the absorbing 
anguish of her soul, thought that she was going to the grave 
to weep there. They saw her outward grief; — they knew 
not her inward joy ; — she was obeying the summons to 
him "who had the words of eternal life." 

Yet the same tender, half-reproachful complaint escaped 
her, as she threw herself at the feet of her beloved Lord, that 
had been uttered by Martha ; — "If thou hadst been here, 
my brother had not died !" She knew his love for the depart- 
ed, and she was, doubtless, fully assured, as her sister was, 
that whatsoever he should ask of God, God would give it him. 
But the feelings of nature for a short time prevailed over 
her faith, and the compassionate Saviour did not chide them. 

When we have lost, by death, a beloved friend, do we 
linger weeping round the grave which holds only the perish- 
ing mortal covering ; or do we listen to the voice which is 
calling us also, and go unto him who is the resurrection and 
the life? Though teais will flow, do we, even while they 
are gushing in sad abundance, throw ourselves at our 
Saviour's feet, and listen to his words, and thence gather 
strength to go with him "even to the spot where the dead 
is laid V If we do, we shall no longer find it a place of 
deep mourning and mysterious dread : immortal flowers of 
ever-growing beauty will be springing from it ; and rays of 
eternal hope will be shedding a glorious halo around it. 
We shall not, indeed, as Mary did, see the stone removed, 
and the beloved one reappear in that mortal form which 
would again subject him to the trials and sufferings, which 
for him have been terminated ; but the eye of faith will 
behold him rising, clad in the heavenly raiment of the sons 
of God ; and his spirit will seem to come and make its 
abode with us, and comfort us in our sojourning here. 

Yes, beloved Master ! may we ever listen to thy voice 
when it cal!s us ! And may we ever hear it calling us, with 
thy accents v^f tender entreaty to the prodigal to "arise and 



THURSDAY EVENING 99 

go to his Father ;" of encouragement to the penitent, laden 
and oppressed with the heavy burden of his sins ; of sym- 
pathy and comfort to the mourner, and of blessed promise 
to his faithful followers ; — "In my Father's house are many 
mansions ; if it were not so I would have told you ; I go to 
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place 
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, 
that where 1 am, there ye may be also." 

Sinner ! the Master is come ! 

Wilt thou not list to his voice ? 
Gently he calleth thee home, 
Oh let his way be thy choice ! — 
Then haste, Sinner, haste, for the Saviour is here ! 
He loves thee, he calls thee, thou needest not fear ! 

Penitent, come ! for thy sighs, 

Thy tears shall be all wiped away ; — 
"Thy sins are forgiven," — then rise, 
Thy darkness is turned to day; 
Thy Father hath sent thee His well-beloved Son, 
To call thee to bliss when thy race is well run. 

Mourner ! the Master is here ; 

Haste thee with him to the grave : 
Though warm flows the fast-gushing tear, 
Thou knowest his power to save. 
Thou knowest through him that the joy shall be given, 
To be with thy loved one, for ever, in Heaven. 

Christian ! thy Master is come, 

He knows all thy faith and thy love ; 
He calls thee on high to thy home, 
His Father's blest mansions above : 
The world is overcome, and thy trials are o'er, 
From the house of thy God thou art parted no more. » 

PRAYER. 

Direct us, Heavenly Father, to the right and faithful 
improvement of all the aids Thou hast afforded for purify- 
ing and perfecting our nature. Teach us to understand 
clearly, to believe firmly, to value justly, and to comply 
with sincerely, that last and bright revelation Thou hast 
given through Thy beloved Son. — Mortify in us all proud 
thoughts and vain opinions of ourselves. Let us go before 
our brethren in nothing but in striving to do them honour 
and to give Thee glory. Never let us seek our own praise, 



100 THIRD WEEK 

nor unduly delight in it when offered : but may we learn 
of our Saviour to be meek and lowly in heart, and thus 
find rest unto our souls. — Prepare and fit us for every con- 
dition and for every change : but especially for our last 
and greatest change. Strengthen our faith in the time of 
sickness and trial. Suffer us not, through pain of body, 
or weakness of mind, to let go our trust and confidence in 
Thee. May we so pass through the remaining days of life, 
that, when we come to the day of death, we may have 
nothing to do but to die ; and may we be enabled to commit 
ourselves to Thee, with a peaceful hope in Thy mercy unto 
eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



FRIDAY MORNING. 

Hebrews xi. 34. — Out of weakness were made strong. 

WHENCE is our strength \ From God alone. How can 
we obtain strength \ Solely by coming to Him. If our 
Saviour said, i( l can of mine own self do nothing," how 
much more ought this to be the language of our lips, and 
the silent homage of our hearts 1 

Yet though so weak, children of the dust, we often fancy 
that we are strong. Our intellectual energy is great ; we 
have a consciousness of power to penetrate the worlds of 
matter and the realms of thought, and there to make vast 
conquests. We imagine that we have moral strength ; all 
the commandments have we kept from our youth, and we 
hold a just and holy sway over the minds of men. Yet we 
are not strong, for this very seeming strength separates us 
from Him without whom nothing is strong, and makes us 
worship self instead of the Creator. 

Then he that is strong with his own strength falls before 
temptation ; he is humbled in the dust ; he has no refuge 
on earth ; he flies to his Maker ; he confesses his weakness ; 
he implores strength from above; and out of weakness he is 
made strong. 

Blessed are the sorrows which lead us to God ; blessed 
the trials which shows us our weakness. He who cast down, 
surely will raise up ; — He who deadens the flame which 
burnt with an impure light, will rekindle it with His own 



FRIDAY MORNING 

brightness ; — He who denies the strength we ask for in 
ignorance, will make His grace sufficient for us, — will make 
us strong out of weakness. 

O my Father ! may I seek no help but of Thee ! May I 
cast all my care upon Thee, and seek strength in Thee alone ! 

O Lord ! Thy heavenly grace impart. 
And fix my frail, inconstant heart ; 
Henceforth my chief desire shall be, 
To dedicate myself to Thee, 
To Thee, my God ! to Thee. 

Whate'er pursuits my time employ, 
One thought shall fill my heart with joy : 
That silent, secret thought shall be, # 

That all my hopes are fixed on Thee, 
On Thee, my God ! on Thee. 

Thy glorious eye pervadeth space ; 
Thy presence, Lord ! fills every place ; 
And wheresoe'er my lot may be, 
Still shall mv spirit cleave to Thee, 
To Thee, my God ! to Thee. 

Renouncing every worldly thing, 
Safe 'neath the covert of Thy wing, 
My sweetest thought henceforth shall be, 
That all I want I find in Thee, 
In Thee, my God ! in Thee. 

PRAYER. 

Lord and giver of life ! Father of our Spirits ! we would 
this morning, with all seriousness and solemnity, renew the 
dedication of ourselves to Thee. Take, we beseech Thee, 
the full possession of our hearts, which Thou hast formed 
for Thyself : and help us to make an unfeigned surrender 
of all that we have, to Thee, the great Lord of all. With 
pure fervour would we cleave unto Thee : oh preserve us to 
Thyself ; and let nothing be able to separate us from Thy 
love. Help us to chase away all worldly affections from 
our hearts ; and to raise our thoughts to spiritual and 
heavenly things. May the great work of religion be con- 
sidered by us as the most important and delightful employ- 
ment in which we can be engaged : and in this let us never 
be slothful or negligent, but always prepared to serve Thee 
with cheerfulness and holy zeal. Form our souls to a likeness 



K>2 THIRD WEEK 

of Thyself; and, through the influence of Thy good Spirit, 
may we be led into the same mind that was in Christ. Let 
Thy blessing be upon our actions, and Thy grace direct 
our intentions ; that the whole course of our lives, and the 
principal designs and wishes of our hearts, may always 
tend to the advancement of Thy glory, the good of others, 
and the eternal salvation of our own s.ouls. Father ! com- 
mand what Thou pleasest ; and give us grace to perform 
diligently what Thou commandest. Permit what seemeth 
good to Thee, and give us grace to suffer patiently what 
Thou permittest. Let Thy blessing descend upon us and 
all ours ; and dwell in our hearts for ever. We humbly 
supplicate this, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 

John xii. 7. Then said Jesus, "Let her alone: against 
the day of my burying hath she kept this" 

TO what an affecting incident does this allude, and what 
depths does it reveal of our Saviour's inmost soul ! 

Six days before that Passover when his soul was to be 
troubled even to death ; when he knew that the city which 
he loved and would have saved, would turn against him, 
and that the end would be, — his last conflict in and over 
death ; — Jesus retired, for a short space, to that peaceful 
village, beneath the hallowed mount, where those dwelt 
whom he loved. He was received at the house of Simon, 
the leper. We knew nothing of him but this, that he was, 
doubtless, one who owed to Christ the power of enjoying 
the blessings of life. He testified his respect by preparing a 
supper for him, and by inviting to it one who was bound to 
his Master by the double tie of love and gratitude. " Lazarus 
was one that sat at table ;" the usages of society did not 
permit the sisters also to be there ; but Martha, unchecked 
even by the former gentle reproof of her Lord, obtained the 
privilege of serving him. The two first Evangelists do not 
mention these touching circumstances ; but merely the fact, 
that Jesus was received at the house of Simon. John, who 
dwelt with affectionate interest on what most interested the 



FRIDAY EVENING 103 

personal feelings of his beloved Mastei, particularly says, 
that Lazarus was there at table, "Who had been dead." 

The gentle-hearted, shrinking Mary did not join her sister 
in her mark of respect, but prepared one characteristic of 
herself. She had, on a former occasion, sat at his feet, and 
heard his words ; now, her heart overflowing with gratitude 
to him who had restored her brother to her, she brings a 
pure and very costly offering of balsam of spikenard to anoint 
them. Matthew and Mark only mention the general fact of 
a "woman" having done so ; and say, that she anointed 
his head, but add the striking circumstance of her breaking 
the alabaster box which contained the offering, doubtless 
that it never might be put to a less holy use. John knew 
that it was the grateful Mary ; and observed, that she did 
not pour the balsam only on his head ; but humbly "anointed 
his feet, wiping them with the hair of her head." Those 
around knew not the mind that was in her, and did net 
sympathize with her; they even expressed displeasure against 
her. How must her heart have overflowed with emotion, when 
she heard the blessed words from her Lord, " She hath done 
a good deed for me, she hath done what she could ;" yet her 
joy must have mingled with the deep sorrow by the touching 
addition, ''for the day of my burial hath she done this." 

Thus ends the record of this beautiful incident, exeppt 
that the two first Evangelists add a prophetic remark of our 
Lord, which they have thus fulfilled, " Verily I say unto you, 
Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole 
world, this also which she hath done, shall be spoken for a 
memorial of her." 

To us, how much does this simple narrative reveal of our 
Saviour's thoughts and feelings and trials ! He had come to 
Jerusalem to fulfil his mission by his death ; his few last 
remaining days were spent in public, teaching in the Temple ! 
but every evening found him at the beloved village of Be- 
thany, which was now hallowed by having been the scene of 
the most remarkable display of that mighty power which had 
been given him by the Father. Here he was received by 
one who probably owed to him all that could make life 
valuable.: the friend whom he loved was here ; and the two 
grateful sisters, each showing her affectionate respect in her 



104 THIRD WEEK 

own peculiar way. We can perceive that Jesus deeply felt 
the marks of friendship he received ; for though he said but 
little, that was full of tenderness. But nothing could banish 
from his mind his approaching trial. The thought of it did 
not shed a gloom around him ; but all around mingled with 
it. "For the day of my burial hath she done this." He 
knew that it was near, but contemplated it with holy calm- 
ness ; for to him the tomb w r as but the gate of Heaven. And 
his own approaching trials did not make him less than ever 
tenderly considerate of others. He knew that Mary's feelings 
would prompt her to pay him, even at the tomb, the last 
tribute of love ; but that she might be spared that agonizing 
duty by the reflection, that by abstaining from it she was 
fulfilling his wishes, he desired her to regard this as her 
final offering. 

Truly did he "bear our sorrows ;" — truly did he bear them 
as the beloved Son of a Heavenly Father ! How can we 
sufficiently love and reverence him, who, with trials and 
temptations like our own, but far greater than we are called 
upon to bear, was so pure and holy, so full of love and piety ? 

See the grateful sister bending 

O'er her much-loved Saviour's form • 
While her thanks to heaven ascending 

From her heart burst pure and warm. 
For his mercy, prompt to save, 

Doth she bless her heavenly Lord ; 
For a brother from ths grave, 

To the light of life restored. 

Who shall blame the kind oblation, 

Perfumes rich, profusely shed ? 
No, through each remotest nation 

Shall her grateful fame be spread ! 
Fair the diamond's star-like blaze, 

Through the dark mine richly strewed ; 
Fairer far the gentle rays 

Of the Christian's gratitude. 

PRAYER. 

We praise Thee, O our God and Father, for the gospel 
of pardon and of peace, which Thou hast sent us through 
Thy Son. We thank Thee for that love which he manifested, 
in submitting to death for us ; for his holy precepts and ex- 
ample ; and for the hope of eternal life to all who believe 



FRIDAY EVENING 105 

and obey him. Oh that our souls may be sincerely humbled 
under a sense of our many transgressions and neglects of 
duty; under the recollection of resolutions unfulfilled, of 
earnings unheeded, of talents unimproved ! We pray not 
only for mercy to pardon our sins, but for strength to enable 
us to subdue them, and for grace to help in the day of temp- 
tation. Sanctify our understanding, that we may rightly 
conceive Th\ holy truths, and fully apprehend them. 
Sanctify our will, that it may bend itself to Thy blessed 
will in all things. Sanctify our affections, that we may 
set our heart upon Thee, and desire nothing in comparison 
with Thee. Sanctify our passions, that, they may be puri- 
fied from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit. Es- 
tablish in us a holy disposition, that we may be kept in 
Thy favour and love, by a persevering continuance in well 
doing. And may we so pass through things temporal, 
that finally we lose not the things eternal: through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



SATURDAY MORNING. 

Zechariah vi. 12. — Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, 
saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch, and 
lie shall g row U p out of his place, and he shall build the 

temple of the Lord. 

THE Messiah was to be the 'great temple-builder, and to 
erect that glorious and spiritual house, of which both the 
old and the new temple were the expressive types. 

Christ, the Branch, forms the inward temple in our hearts, 
like the temple of old, according to the pattern in his own 
mind. He lays its foundations and builds its walls strong in 
righteousness. He brings in the ornaments of every lovely 
grace and harmonizing affection. He lights in it the lamps 
of heavenly wisdom ; he kindles upon its altar the everlasting 
fire ; and inflames there those grateful clouds of its incense. 

A temple of God implies the residence of God with man ; 
and the great object of Messiah's manifestation was to bring 
back God to the soul of man, that thus every man might 
become God's temple. Thus he is called " Emanuel, God 
with us.'' Thus did he ascend on high, and receive gifts for 



106 THIRD WEEK 

men, that the Lord God might dwell among them. So the 
Apostle prays, as for every believer, "that Christ may dwell 
in their hearts by faith." 

He, the man whose name is the Brarch, even he shall 
build the temple of the Lord; he shall bring God to man, 
and fix his residence in the human spirit. He does this by 
making us sensible of the loss of God, and by fixing in 
us the fear of everlasting separation ; by exposing the 
vanity that surrounds us, the dark plunge into ruin before 
us ; by exciting the desire after God, the effect of newly 
returning life; — the language of the soul now is, "I go 
mourning after Thee ; I thirst after Thee in a dry and 
barren land where no water is ;" — by giving that seeking 
spirit which can rest in nothing but its proper object, God ; 
God in Christ ! God lifting up the light of His countenance ; 
— by showing us the only way to the Father ; — he does this 
by aspiring faith. And thus the ■work is done; the veil 
is removed, God shines forth, the temple is purged by the 
sprinkled blood, and filled by the hallowing Spirit. Now 
man walks with God, calls Him Father, turns to seek Him 
in the soul, and finds Him there. Nov/ he delights in God ; 
he finds how free is prayer, and how accepted is praise. 
What hasting to Him for shelter ! What a sacred fear of 
offending Him ! Man is now strong in Omnipotence, light 
in Light, love in Love, pure in Purity, and satisfied in infi- 
nite fulness. "Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord 
hath dealt bountifully with thee." " Whom have I in heaven 
but Thee ? There is none upon earth that 1 desire beside 
Thee." Thus it is that God returns to man ; thus that the 
man whose name is the Branch builds the temple of God. 

"Descend to thy Jerusalem, O Lord !" 

Her faithful children cry with one accord; 

Come, ride in triumph on ! behold we lay 

Our guilty lusts and proud wills in thy way ! 

Thy road is ready, Lord ! — thy paths, made straight, 

[n longing expectation seem to wait 

The consecration of thy beauteous feet; 

And hark ! Hosannas loud thy footsteps greet! 

Welcome, Oh welcome to our hearts, Lord ! here 

Thou hast a temple too, and as full as dear 

As that in Sion, and as full of sin ; 

How long shall thieyes and robbers dwell therein ? 



SATURDAY MORNING 1 07 

EnfcT and chase them forth, and cleanse the floor! 
Destroy their strength, that they may never more 
Profane with traffic vile that holy place 
Which thou hast chosen, there to set thy face. 

And then, if our stiff tongues shall silent be 
In praises cf thy finished victory, 
The temple stones shall cry, and loud repeat 
Hosanna ! and thy glorious footsteps greet. 

PRAYER. 
With the return of the morning, Thou, O Father, renew- 
est unto us Thy loving kindness. With the return of the 
morning, it is our wisdom and duty to devote ourselves anew 
to Thee ; and our happiness and privilege, to repose our 
hope and trust in Thee. Various are the duties which lie 
before us ; many are the snares which beset us ; severe may 
be the trials to which we may be called. Our wisdom is 
but ignorance : our strength is but weakness. But unto 
Thee are known our dangers and difficulties ; be Thou our 
present and daily help. May uprightness and integrity 
preserve us ; and our worldly business be pursued under a 
sense of Thy authority and presence. In the most unbend- 
ed moments, may we never fall into sin and folly. May 
we always be able to maintain composure and seriousness 
of mind, and purity of heart. Endue us with fortitude to 
resist every temptation. Warm our breasts, in the enjoy- 
ment of every blessing, with devout gratitude; and assist 
us to bear affliction with patience and submission. Suffer 
not our hearts to indulge any sinful passion, or to entertain 
any evil thoughts. Help us to look forward to the end of 
life, and to prepare for it. Assist us to sow the seeds of 
divine knowledge, of religious wisdom, of increasing holi- 
ness, now; that, having sown to the spirit, of the spirit we 
may reap life everlasting: through Jesus Christ, our 
Redeemer. Amen. 



SATURDAY EVENING. 

John xiv. 6. — / am the way, the truth, and the life. 
JESUS Christ is the only and true way to eternal life. "No 
man cometh unto the Father but by me." His gospel reflects 
the image of God. It is divine in its origin, free in its 



108 THIRD WEEK 

communications, satisfying in its effects, constant in its 
supplies, active in its operations, merciful in its powers, and 
glorious in its results. It is a system perfectly adapted to 
the probationary state of man. It is light to the darkness of 
reason, peace to the tumult of his conscience, joy to the 
anguish of his soul, and hope to the gloom of his despon- 
dency. Is he guilty ?— it presents a sufficient Saviour. Is 
he polluted ! — it opens to him a fountain to cleanse away 
his sin. Is he alienated from God ?— here is a medium of 
approach, a way of access. Is he the victim of ignorance 
and error ? — here, then, he receives the lessons of a heavenly 
prophet, and becomes wise to salvation. Does he feel him- 
self the victim of passions, which lead him astray ?— here is 
an example to subdue his passions, to curb his lusts, and to 
control his will. In every point of view the gospel meets 
his case. Is he a sinner ? — it offers pardon. Is he a debtor ? 
— it presents to him the merciful conditions of his discharge. 
Is he a captive \ — it gives him liberty. Is he an endangered 
heir of glory ? — it restores him to his throne, and constitutes 
him a king and priest unto God. Is he thirsty ? — it is a 
river of life. Is he weary ? — it is a delightful repose. Is he 
ignorant! — it is a divine instructor. Is he diseased! — it is 
immortal health and vigour to his soul. Is he dying ? — it is 
eternal life. ■ This is the prevailing character of its proclama- 
tions, the general style of its appeal :— "Ho, every one that 
thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; 
come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk with- 
out money and without price." "The Spirit and the bride 
say, Come. And whosoever will, let him come and drink of 
the waters of life freely." " Come unto me, all ye who 
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

How true are these promises ! How uncontrollable the 
power of the gospel over every one who really receives it ! 
It pierces the conscience ; it softens the heart ; it purifies the 
soul. The lover of pleasure hears it, and becomes a lover of 
God ; the thoughtless trifler is struck by it, and, for the first 
time, begins to reflect and pray ; the sensualist, as he listens 
to its sayings, tears his lusts from his heart ; and the man 
who before loved and served the world, turns his back upon 
it, and tramples its sins and follies underneath his feet, while 
he fixes his eyes on heaven. Thus has Christ brought 



SATURDAY EVENING 109 

thousands to righteousness whom the moral law could not 
have reclaimed ; and thus has he proved his superior glory, 
by his superior power over the hearts of men, 

Father ! how shall we adore Thee, 

Doubt and fear behind us casting ? 
How shall man e'er come before Thee, 

Thee all powerful, everlasting ? 

Through Thy grace to us frail mortals, 

Father, uow away is given ; 
Jesus guides us to Thy portals, 

Leading man to Thee and heaven. 

Wandering oft in error's mazes, 
Earth's thick mist and gloom around us ; — 

But Thy truth our spirits raises, 
Jesus sheds Thy grace around us. 

Endless life from Thee is sealed 

By our Saviour's love in dying ; 
Father, here Thou art revealed, 

All our doubts and sorrows thing. 

PRAYER. 

O thou Father of mercies and God of all consolation ! 
we would present unto Thee our humble tribute of praise for 
Thy glorious declarations to mankind in the Gospel of Thy 
Son Jesus. Blessed, for ever blessed, be Thy name, O Thou 
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that by his resur- 
rection from the dead, Thou hast begotten us again to a 
lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiied, and 
that fadeth not away ; that we are enabled to look beyond 
this world of sin, of sorrow, and of death, to a world where 
all shall be eternally and unchangeably happv, who have 
here obeyed Thy holy will.— Heavenly Father, what 
thanks do we owe Thee for Thy rich and unmerited blessings. 
May our souls be filled with a lively sense of them, and may 
we manifest the sincerity of our gratitude, by hearts sincerely 
devoted to Thy service. May the precious consolations of 
the Gospel be felt by all who are in distress. May such of 
our fnends as are visited with personal or relative affliction, 
be enabled to derive from it those supplies of strength and 
support which their several circumstances require. For 
those who are confined to the bed of sickness, we pray that 
they may view Thy hand in all ; and if Trnu shouldest in 

L 



110 THIRD WEEK 

Thy great goodness, deliver them from their present trial, 
may they come forth perfected, better prepared to do and 
to bear Thy will concerning them. But if Thou hast or- 
dained, when nature faints be Thou their support ; may they 
feel a well grounded hope in Thy acceptance : and in those 
moments when Thou only canst be their stay, may they 
possess the best consolations of religion. Where in Thy 
great mercy Thou bast restored to a prospect of returning 
health from circumstances of great danger, may Thy mer- 
cies be duly felt, and may the life which Thou hast spared, 
and of those to whom Thou hast spared it, be more devoted 
to Thy service. — In humble submission to Thy will, we im- 
plore for ourselves and those dear to us, health and strength 
to discharge the duties which Thou hast assigned for us : 
but above all we pray that we may rightly improve all Thy 
dispensations, learn to regard even afflictions as merciful, 
and from the chastizements of Thy hand, become better 
prepared for that state to which we are all hastening. 
While we are continued in life, may we be preserved from 
all real evil ; and may it be our sincere and earnest desire 
to work the work which Thou hast given us to do, so that 
when the night of death cometh, we may be prepared to 
die, and may be owned and approved by Thee when we 
stanti before the judgment seat of Christ. Every blessing 
for time and for eternity we supplicate as his disciples, and 
ascribe unto Thee, his Father and our Father, his God and 
our God, never-ending praises. Amen. 



Ill 






sjc^i'dj §g|«fc. 



SUNDAY MORNING. 

Ephestans ii. 19. — Fellow -citizens with the saints, and 
of the household of God, 

IN how many tongues, by what various voices, with what 
measureless intensity of love, is the name of Christ breathed 
forth to-day \ What cries of penitence, what accents of trust, 
what plaints of earnest desire, pass away to God ! What an 
awful array of faces that gaze forth into immortality with 
various looks of terror or of love ! The vows and prayers 
whose millions crowd the gates of mercy, no recording angel 
could tell, but only the infinite memory of God. Of how 
glorious a church, then, are we members, when we kneel 
within the house of God ! In how solemn an act do we take 
our part ! With how sublime a brotherhood do we own our 
fellowship ! 

But our worship together brings us into yet nobler con- 
nexions. It unites us by a chain of closest sympathy with 
past generations. In our helps to faith and devotion in that 
holy place, we avail ourselves of the thought and piety of 
many extinct ages. We reverently read those ancient Scrip- 
tures, which have gathered around them the trust, and pro- 
cured the heart-felt repose, of so many tribes and periods, 
since prophets and apostles first gave them forth. We sing 
the hymns which a goodly company of pious men have left 
as the record of their communion with Heaven. And it is 
impossible to look at the consecrated names of those "sweet 
singers" of Christendom, without feeling ennobled by their 
communion, and even astonished at our sympathy with them 
Do not we, the living, take up, in adoration and prayer. 



112 FOURTH WEEK 

the thoughts of the dead, and feel them divinely true \ Da 
they not come forth, as if fresh coined from our own hearts ? 
Indeed, could we ourselves so faithfully utter the conscious- 
ness of our inner being, or shape so interpreting a voice for 
our secret life ? What an impressive testimony this to the 
sameness of our nature through every age, and the immortal 
perseverance of its holier affections !. The language oiiheir 
confessions, their struggles, their desires, speaks our own ; 
the light that gladdened them, shines now upon our hearts ; 
and the mists they could not penetrate, brood now upon our 
path. There is the choice minstrel of Israel, true alike to the 
spirit of mourning or of joy ; there are the venerable fathers 
of the ancient church, whose vespers, chanted centuries ago, 
will suit this night as well ; there is the adamantine, yet 
genial Luther, telling, with the severity of an eye witness, 
the awfulness of judgment; there is the noble Milton, breath- 
ing his sweet and rugged music out of darkness ; there is the 
afflicted Cowper, sending out the tenderest strains from his 
benighted spirit ; with an attendant multitude of the faithful, 
— the confessor, the exile, the missionary,' — a chorus of 
sublime voices, with which it is a sacred privilege to be in 
harmony. And these are not merely the accents of the past, 
but the anthem of the sainted dead, — the strains of immortals 
that look back upon their toils, and behold us singing their 
songs of sadness here, while they have already learned the 
melodies of everlasting joy. Blessed communion of earth 
with Heaven ! — making us truly one family, below, above ; 
and rendering us fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the 
very household of God ! 

And soon we, too, shall drop the note of earthly aspiration, 
and join that upper anthem of diviner love. The hour 
cometh, when we shall cease the mournful cry with which 
earth must ever pray to Heaven, and grief ask pity to its. 
tears, and the tempted call for help in the crisis of danger, 
and the labouring will implore a freshened strength. Exiles 
as yet from the spirit of unanxious joy, we catch but the 
echoes of that heavenly peace, and yield response but faint 
and low. Yet even now the free heart of the happy and 
triumphant shall be ours, in proportion as we are true to the 
condition of faithful service, which alone can make us one 
with them. The communion of saints brings to us their 



SUNDAY MORNING 113 

conflicts first, their blessings afterwards ; those who will not 
with much patience strive with the evil, can have no dear 
fellowship with the good : we must weep their tears, ere we 
can win their peace. This sorrowful condition once accepted, 
the sympathies of heaven are not slow to rise within the 
soul : it is the tension of sacred toil, that on the touch of 
every breath of life brings music from the chords of love. 
And then the tone that here sinks in the silence of death, 
shall there sw r ell into an immortal's fuller praise. We shall 
leave it to others to take up the supplicating strain ; shall 
join the emancipated brotherhood of the departed ; and, in 
our turn, look down on the outstretched hands of our child- 
ren, waiting our welcome and embrace. Oh ! may the Great 
Father, in his own fit time, unite in one the parted family of 
heaven and earth ! 

Hallelujah! best and sweetest 

Of the hymns of praise above ! 
Hallelujah ! thou repeatest, 

Angel-host, these notes of love : 
This ye utter, 

While your golden harps ye move. 

Hallelujah ! church victorious 

Join the concert of the sky ; 
Hallelujah ! bright and glorious, 

Lift, ye saints, this strain on high ! 
We, poor exiles, 

Join not yet your melody. 

Hallelujah ! strains of gladness 

Comfort not the faint and worn : 
Hallelujah ! sounds of sadness 

Best become the heart forlorn: 
Our offences 
We with bitter tears must mourn. 

But our earnest supplication, 

Holy God ! we raise to Thee ; 
Visit us with Thy salvation, 

Make us all Thy peace to see ! 
Hallelujah ! 

Ours at length this strain shall be. 

PRAYER. 

Father of holiness and truth ! Thou didst close our 
eyes on the toil and sorrow of the week past ; Thou hast 
refreshed our bodies and our spirits with peaceful rest ; and 
now Thou awakenest us to the day of earthly rest and heaven- 



114 FOURTH WEEK 

ly toil, to the clay of peace from worldly cares and of strife 
with our own hearts, to the day when Thou invitest us to 
listen to Thine own voice speaking solemnly in the gospel 
of Thy Son. Speak to our hearts, O Father, in the silent 
teachings of Thy Spirit ; and rouse our souls to earnest 
purpose, and to contrite submission. Draw the veil of faith 
and hope over the glaring pressure of immediate interests ; 
make us feel the realities of the heavenly state ; and he filled 
with longing after the treasures at Thy right hand. Make 
us to accept willingly the strife of duty ; and. lowly to bend 
with humbled spirits before Thy fatherly corrections. Suf- 
fer us not to lose the warmth of our dear love to the departed; 
but may our longing for the blessed re-union quicken us in 
the times of fierce temptation, and in the dangerous periods of 
the soul's tired sleep. O Father, help us in our watch, lest we 
carelessly sink into perdition. Let the words of Christ this 
day renew our life ; and let the waters from the eternal 
fountain cheer our hearts. Now break to us the bread of 
heaven ; and in the strength thereof, let us endure the con- 
flicts of the coming week. And when weeks and years are 
over, may we, and all our dearly beloved ones, be united in 
the eternal Sabbath of Thy love, through the Redeemer, 
Jesus. Amen. So be it, for Thine own Name's sake. 



SUNDAY EYENING. 

Luise xxiv. 32. — And they said one to another, Did not 

our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by 

the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ? 

T was the evening after our Lord's resurrection, when two 
disciples were walking to Emmaus. They left behind them 
the great city, the holiness of which seemed to have departed, 
and with whose festive sounds they could not sympathize. 
They did not even seek those who had followed their Lord 
with them. He was gone ; and the tidings the women 
brought, that he was risen, seemed to them but as an idle 
tale, awakening them more sensibly to the reality of their 
loss. They communed together and reasoned ; and as they 
walked they were sad ; when Jesus appeared to them, but 
either in another form (Mark xvi. 12), or their eyes were 



SUNDAY EVENING 115 

Iiolden : for they knew him not. He enquires the cause 
of their grief ; lie gently rebukes them for their faithlessness, 
and opens to them the scriptures. Still they were uncon- 
cious of his presence, though he spake as never man spake, 
till 9 as he sat at their table, he took bread and blessed, and 
brake, and gave unto them. The tones of heavenly blessing 
reminded them of the limes when they had before beheld 
him breaking and distributing that good gift of God, which 
was a faint emblem of himself ; and their eyes were opened 
and they knew him. but only to behold him depart : and 
they said one to another, "Did not our hearts burn within 
us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened 
to us the Scriptures V' 

The hearts of the disciples burned, when they were with 
their Lord whom they loved ; so may ours, for he has not 
deserted us. They had just been thinking and speaking of 
him, before he met them ; let us, in like manner, invite his 
presence into our hearts. And as we walk in the way of 
life, which is often a sad one 5 his spirit shall open to us the 
mysterious page of God's dealings : the hand writing in the 
books of nature and of grace shall no more appear unknown 
characters : he shall commune with us of light, and life, and 
love ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
place shall be smooth ; all things shall become new : our 
hearts will burn within us ; all selfishness and distrust shall 
be consumed ; and the best emotions of the soul shall be 
kindled into a sacrifice acceptable to God. We shall no 
more he slow of heart to believe ; and when our rapturous 
musings shall have ceased, and the alow of heavenly joy 
shall for a time have cooled, we shall yet return to our Jeru- 
salem with hearts purified by the refiner's fire, and gladdened 
by the divine presence : and ve shall be enabled to declare 
to our fellow disciples the loving kindness of the Lord. 

Hath not thy heart with in thee burned 

At evening's calm and holy hour, 
As if its inmost depths discerned 

The presence of a loftier power ? 

Hast thou not heard, 'mid forest glades, 
While ancient rivers murmured by, 

A voicr from forth the eternal shades^ 
That spake a present Deity ? 



116 FOURTH WEEK 

And as, upon the sacred page, 

Thy eye in rapt attention turned 
O'er records of a holier age, 

Hath not thy heart within thee burned ? 

It was the voice of God, that spake 

Tn silence to thy silent heart, — 
And bade each worthier thought awake, 

And every dream of earth depart. 

As they who once with Jesus trod, 

With kindling breast his accents heard, 

But knew not that the Son of God 
Was uttering every burning word ; — 

Father of Jesus ! thus Thy voice 
Speaks to our heart in tones divine ; 

Our spirits tremble and rejoice, 

But know not that the voice is Thine. 

Still be Thy hallowed accents near ! 

To doubt and passion whisper peace ; 
Direct us on our journey here, 

Then bid, in heaven, our wanderings cease. 

PRAYER. 

How often, blessed Father, hast Thou spoken unto us, 
and we knew Thee not ! In how many voices hast Thou 
called to us, and we have not obeyed ! At how many times 
hast Thou been very near unto us, when we knew not Thee ! 
Ho w often have we cried, in longing helplessness and in bitter 
sorrow, as though Thou hadst for ever forsaken us ; and lo ! 
Thou wert in our midst, and wert sending the very things 
which hid Thee from us ! Thy ways, Father, are not as our 
ways. Therefore we will fully trust Thy love ; for our own 
ways we love not ; we feel that they are laid in vanity and 
ignorance and weakness and iniquity, and end in shame 
and sorrow. Open our eyes, we pray Thee, that we may 
see Thy presence, and trust Thy wisdom and Thy love. 
This day we have felt Thee with us ; the thought of heaven 
has been present to our souls ; the words of peace have 
calmed our troubled spirits ; and the voice of duty we have 
heard, and welcomed Thy inward call. Depart not from 
us, O Thou that ever art the same. Let not the slumber? 
of this night work forgetfulness of the hopes and resolutions 
of the day. Let not the cares of daily toil drive from our 



SUNDAY EVENING 117 

breasts the cares of heavenly concern. Let not the Sabbath 
hours be the only times of felt communion. But let our 
hearts burn with holy zeal and pure affection ; so that in all 
times we may serve Thee, and each day feel the peace of 
heavenly trust, and the joy of glad obedience to Thy will. 
Take care of all whom Thou hast united to us in the bonds 
of love ; and be with us evermore, through our risen and 
glorified Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



MONDAY MORNING. 

John v. 22. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath 
committed all judgment unto the Son. 

HOW greatly does this appointment manifest the compas- 
sion of God ! 'Mercy belongeth unto Thee, O Lord ; because 
Thou renderest unto every man according to his works.' 
Rich indeed that mercy, which began with the mission of 
the Saviour, and is consummated in the gracious tenderness 
of the judgment seat! What an aggravation to the sin of 
that man, who can still go on, hardening himself in sin ! 
and who will carry nothing but corrupt and obstinate dis- 
obedience to the presence of eternal love! 

In consequence of this appointment to judge the world, 
it becomes our duty to render to our Saviour the reverence, 
submission and confidence which appertains to the great 
Sovereign in whose name he acts. This he himself claims ; 
"that all men should honour the Son even as they honour 
the Father." The honours which belong to the prince are 
demanded for his ambassador. The Lord said, tfc They who 
receive you receive me : and they who receive me, receive 
him that sent me." k 'God hath highly exalted him, and 
given him a name above every name ; that in the name of 
Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess him 
to be Lord, to the glory of God the Father." This is one 
appointed test of devotion to God. A right spirit of sub- 
jection and submission to Him, will necessarily be mani- 
fested by confidence, faith and trust in him whom He has 
commissioned — to refuse which, is an evidence of disrespect 
towards the Sovereign himself. 



118 FOURTH WEEK 

If then Christ is to sit on the judgment seat, we are to 
stand before it ? and give account of every work which we 
have done, and of every secret thought, whether it be good 
or whether it be evil. For that day we are to prepare. 
The thought of it should have influence over (he whole frame 
of our minds, and the entire character of our lives. It should 
make sin our abhorrence, and holiness our delight. It 
should excite us to diligence in the work of obedience and 
faith, that we may be found blameless, and accepted at last. 
It should lead us to familiar acquaintance with that word 
according to which our destiny shall be determined, and to 
the devout performance of every duty it enjoins ; so that we 
may be welcomed to the joy of our Lord, and not be cast 
out with the rejected and impenitent. Yet with such an 
Advocate and Judge, of whom all that we have known has 
been benevolent, tender and forbearing, — we feel assured 
that mercy shall reign in the midst of judgment ; that while 
severity flashes on the criminal, there yet shall be no room 
for unrelenting wrath ; but every infirmity shall receive 
compassion, and all possible allowance be made for the 
weakness of the flesh, and the seductions of the world. 
Let the timid and desponding disciple be comforted and at 
peace. Let the tempted and tried, the sorrowing and fear- 
ful, give way to no despair. For it is to him, who bore our 
infirmities and carried our sorrows, who breaks not the 
bruised reed, nor quenches the smoking flax ; it is to him 
that judgment has been committed, " because he is the 
Son of man." 

Hear, O ye dead, awake, arise ! 
The solemn trumpet shakes the skies ; 

The awful Judge is near : 
Angelic guards attend him down ; 
And, flaming round his fiery throne, 

A thousand terrors glare. 

Pale guilt looks upwards with amaze ; 
She trembles while the terrors blaze, 

And conscience telis her doom : 
Struck with unutterable dread, 
The sinner fain would hide his head, 

And shrink into the tomb. 

But ye, his happy saints, rejoice ! 
No terrors hath the Monarch's voice,, 
His looks, no frowns for you 5 



MONDAY MORNING 1 I 9 

He comer-, your spirits to convey 
To regions of eternal d?y, 
To joys for ever new. 

'Blest of my Father ! haste,' he erics; 
In joyful triumph mount the skies, 

To nobler worlds above : 
There shall ye share my blissful sight 
And taste the fulness of delight 

In my eternal love.' 

PRAYER. 

Sensible of our own weakness, we look up unto Thee, 
our Father, for Thine assistance and blessing. Surrounded 
as we are by numerous and powerful temptations, which 
tend to draw off our attention, and to weaken our affections 
to Thee and duty, we earnestly implore all those aids, which, 
in the gracious methods of Thy providence, Thou bestowest 
upon Thy feeble children of mortality, Holy Father, suffer 
us not in the moment of thoughtlessness to be led astray from 
the path of Thy commandments. Above all. suffer us not 
wilfully and intentionally to yield to any temptation to sin. 
May we never, through sinful confidence in our own powers, 
place ourselves in the way of trial. May we carefully observe 
the first inroads of sin, and in no instance think of disobe- 
dience to Thy law as otherwise than destructive. O Gracious 
Father, for those vvdio are totally forgetful of Thee, who live 
without attention to the voice of conscience and to the 
commands of the Gospel, we pray that they may perceive 
their sins and their danger, and immediately and earnestly 
endeavour by timely repentance to regain thy forfeited 
favour. Grant that we may never rest satisfied with any- 
thing short of unreserved obedience to Thy holy will. May 
christian principle take a more full and complete possession 
of our minds ; and may it become tbe object of our highest 
aim to comply with those terms of peace and pardon which 
are declared to us in the Gospel of Thy Son. O gracious 
God. preserve us, we entreat Thee, from all influence of 
evil opinions, evil customs, and evil examples. May we 
cultivate that lively abhorrence of sin, which will aid in 
preserving us from its fatal snares ; and may we never for- 
get that the example and conduct of others will furnish 
no excuse for us, when we appear before Thy holy tribunal. 



120 FOURTH WEEK 

May we not, through foolish pride, omit the steady employ- 
ment of those means of duty which we possess. While we 
pray for holiness, may our exertions be honestly directed to 
the attainment of it. May we aim to acquire correct views 
of duty, and in all things learn to submit to its guidance. 
The hopes which Thou hast set before us to encourage our 
feeble endeavours, the gracious promises which Thou hast 
made so faithful, though imperfect obedience, claim our 
heartfelt praise ; but, our Father, impress upon our 
minds a lively apprehension of those destructive conse- 
quences of sin which Jesus has pointed out to our fears. 
Unseduced by the allurements of interest or of pleasure, 
may we shun the broad path which leadeth to destruction ; 
and having chosen the good part, may we be finally owned 
by our great Master as his faithful servants. Grant these 
best of blessings, Heavenly Father, which we supplicate 
as the disciples of thy well-beloved Son, our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



MONDAY EVENING. 

Psalm cxxxi. 2. — Surely I have behaved and quieted 

myself as a child that is weaned of his mother ; my soul is 

even as a weaned child. 

IN weanedness of soul there is presupposed a power in it of 
still loving and desiring. It is not the destruction of its 
appetite, but the controlling and changing of it. "A weaned 
child" still hungers, but it hungers no more after the food 
that once delighted it ; — it is quiet without it ; — it can feed 
on other things. And so with a soul that is weaned from 
the world ; it still pants as much as ever for food and happi- 
ness, but it no longer seeks them alone in earthly objects. 
It has other resources. There is nothing in the world that it 
feels necessary for its happiness. This thing it loves, and 
that thing it values ; but it know^s it can do without them ; 
attd it is ready to do without them, just whenever God pleases. 
Nor let it be supposed we speak of things evil in their nature 
only, or of certain questionable pleasures and indulgences. 
Far from this ; — we speak of all things worldly, be they 
good or be they bad. Money, business, honour, pleasure, 



MONDAY EVENING 121 

affection, friends, relations, children, — every thing of earthly 
kind that the hungry heart of man ever fed on, — this wean- 
edness of soul can say to them all, "If need be, let them go." 
It checks the mind in the pursuit of them ; it sobers the 
mind in the enjoyment of them ; it prepares the mind to 
part with, them ; it quiets the mind when they are gone* It 
enables a man to rejoice in them while he has them, as 
though he rejoiced not ; and weep for them when he loses 
them, as though he wept not ; and, dying daily to the world, 
to exchange, with comparative serenity, the semblance and 
the shadow, for the substance and reality, of things "hoped 
for.*' This is the happiness, and this the peace of saints. 

Is there, then, any one thing, that you feel you could not 
bear to part with ? Or is there any one earthly thing that 
you feel you must obtain ? — then you do not possess a weaned 
soul. Could you give up all you have at God's call ; and, 
having done so, instead of saying, " There goes all my hap- 
piness," could rather say, though yet with bleeding heart, " I 
can be happy still, my best treasure is yet left ?" Oh then 
your's is a weaned heart ; and, with David, you may say, 
"I am even as a weaned child." 

Quiet, Lord, my fro ward heart, 

Make me teachable and mild ; 
Upright, simple, free from art, 

Make me as a weaned child ; 
From distrust and envy free, 
Pleased with all that pleaseth Thee. 

What Thou shalt to-day provide, 

Let me as a child receive ; 
What to-morrow may betide 

Calmly to Thy wisdom leave ; 
*Tis enough that Thou wilt care; 
Why should I the burden bear ? 

As a little child relies 

On a care beyond its own ; 
Knows he's neither strong nor wise; 

Fears to stir a step alone ; 
Let me thus wit i Thee abide. 
As my Father, Guard, and Guide. 

PRAYER. 

Of Thy gift it Cometh, O Father, that we are here this 
evening in peace. Thou hast watched over us, and Thy 
love hath kept us from harm. We look back on the strug* 

M 



122 FOURTH WEEK 

gles of the past, and none seem to have been worth the 
labour, save such as were conflicts with evil. We look back 
upon its sorrows, and we wonder that they distressed us so, 
while we grieved but little for the plague of our own hearts. 
Now, O Father, may we lay ourselves to rest in Thee. Calm 
the turbulence of our passions ; quiet the throbbings of our 
hopes ; repress the waywardness of our wills ; direct the 
motions of our affections ; sanctify the varieties of our lot ; 
and point our faith and trust steadily to the attainment of 
Thy enduring favour. Be Thou all in all to us ; and may 
all things earthly, while we bend them to our growth in 
«race and to the work of blessing, dwell lightly in our 
hearts, so that we may readily and even joyfully give up 
whatever Thou dost ask for. May we seek first Thy king- 
dom and righteousness; resting assured that then all things 
needful shall be added unto us. Father, pardon our past 
ingratitude and disobedience ; and purify us, whether by 
Thy gentle or Thy sterner dealings, till we have done Thy 
will on earth, and Thou removest us to Thine own presence 
with the redeemed in heaven. Hear us, and accept us 
through Thy Son, once the Man of sorrows, now our glorified 
Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

TUESDAY MORNING. 

Luke x. 21. — Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, 6i I thank 
Thee, Father." 

MY Father, I would thank Thee for all Thy mercies to me. 

When the hand of sorrow is upon us, then we are led to 
Thee as the only comforter ; when dangers encompass us 
round, we fly to Thee as the only rock of refuge ; when 
sickness and death are near, we say, ''Father, if it be 
possible, remove this bitter cup from me." But, O my 
Father, let me not be drawn to seek communion with Thee 
by affliction only ; let me not offer to Thee only the per- 
plexity and sadness of my soul ; let its joys be shared with 
Thee ; and when 1 rejoice in spirit, let my first utterance 
be, "Father, I thank Thee/' 

Thou art the giver of every good and perfect gift ; all my 
springs of comfort and happiness have their source in Thee 
alone-^; and to Thee shall the homage of my praise arise 



TUESDAY MORNING 123 

daily for all my many temporal mercies. But it is when my 
spirit is free from care and sorrow ; when its joy is shed 
around on all ; when it gives brightness to gloom> and love 
to sorrow ; when it can in faith spread the beauty of Thy 
presence over the seeming deformity of the world ; when all 
things then minister to its happiness, as they do » at other 
times to its mourning ; it is then, O my Father, that I need 
not to come to Thee, for I feel that Thou art already with 
me ; that Thou only canst know my happiness, since it 
proceeds directly from Thee : then, while my lips utter, 
" Father, I thank Thee," would I offer to Thee the holy 
sacrifice of a loving and happy soul. 

They are blessed moments when my spirit can thus rejoice 
in my God ! They give me a foretaste of that time when all 
shall be joy unspeakable, and w r hen praise will be the atmo- 
sphere of the soul. Shall they pass and leave no trace 
behind ? Sorrow leaves deep marks of its presence, and 
long tinges, with a sombre hue, the world around. But 
when I have rejoiced in spirit, shall the holy period vanish 
for ever ? Oh may every hour of blessed communion with 
God make me more united with Him ! May it shed its holy 
influence over all I think and say and do ! May it diffuse 
a pure light on all things, and make me "rejoice evermore.'' 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me 
bless His holy name ! 

My God ! Thy boundless love I praise ; 
How bright on high its glories blaze, 

How sweetly bloom below ! 
It streams from Thy eternal throne, 
Through heaven its joys for ever run, 

And o'er the earth they flow. 

It robes in cheerful green the ground, 
And pours its flowen beauties round, 

Whose sweets perfume the gale; 
Its bounties richly spread the plain, 
The blushing fruit, the golden grain, 

And smile on every vale. 

But in Thy gospel see it shine 
With grace and glory more divine, 

Proclaiming sins forgiven ; 
There Faith, bright cherub, points the way 
To realms of everlasting day, 

And opens all her heaven, 



134 FOURTH WEEK 

Then let the love that makes me blest, 
With cheerful praise inspire my breast, 

And ardent gratitude ; 
And all my thoughts and passions tend 
To Thee, my Father and my Friend, 

My soul's eternal good. 

Dart from Thine own celestial flame 
One vivid beam, to warm my frame 

With kindred energy ; 
Mark Thine own image on my mind, 
And teach me to be good and kind, 

And love and bless like Thee. 



PRAYER. 

Father of eternal blessedness ! Thou art always doing 
us good. Thou grantest us health and strength. Thou 
givest us food and raiment. Thou supportest us in difficul- 
ties, and guidest us in the times of danger and of sorrow. 
Thou delightest to load us with Thy benefits : Thou art always 
showering down Thy favours upon us in rich profusion : Thou 
openest Thy hand, and all creatures are filled with good. 
What shall we render unto Thee for all Thy mercies unto us ? 
Thou desirest not outward sacrifices, else would we give them. 
Thou dwellest in the heaven of love, and purity, and truth, 
and power. Thou delightest in the meek and lowly, the hum- 
ble and the contrite. Thou lovest to hear the cry of penitence, 
and the aspirations of the purest hopes, and the earnest prayer 
for light and holiness. Thou listenest to the supplication of 
those, who would love Thee with a child-like love, and trust 
in Thee with a confiding faith. — Father ! may we never quench 
the manifestations of Thy Spirit within us : may we never 
resist the strivings of Thy grace : but may we cherish the 
promptings of our souls, and nurture every holy aspiration 
as our choicest treasure. — Blessed be Thy name that here we 
have no continuing city, but that Thou bast made us strangers 
and pilgrims upon earth. May our treasure be in heaven, 
and there may our hearts be also. May our whole life here 
be a preparation for that happy state, where sin and sorrow 
and suffering and death shall be known no more for ever. 
Hear us, as disciples of our ever blessed Redeemer, Jesus 
Christ the righteous. Amen, 



125 



TUESDAY -EVENING. 

Genesis xlii. 36. — All these things are against me. 

THIS is the hasty and wrong conclusion which we often 
draw from distressing and mournful events. Many indulge 
themselves in a fearful and repining temper, till it grows 
into a hahit. It is an evil, to he guarded against with the 
utmost care. 

Such language and such a spirit show ingratitude to God, 
who has bestowed on us so many mercies, and has continued 
them so long. He might have recalled them before. Hq 
might have never given them to be enjoyed by us a moment 

Such repinings manifest ignorance of the law of our being ; 
of the state of trial and discipline in which we are placed, 
and of the uncertain tenure by which we hold every earthly 
blessing. 

They show unreasonableness ; to imagine that because 
we once had a thing, we must always have it ; and distrust 
in God's providence, promises, and goodness. 

They imply that we know what is best for us ; and that 
our happiness depends on the possession of certain things 
which we have lost, or are expecting to lose. Men often 
think God their enemy, when he is especially their friend.. 
They take a partial view of His ways, and put a wrong con- 
struction on His dealings towards them. The trials and. 
sufferings they meet, may be so used as to be reckoned 
among their greatest mercies. Let us make such a wise and 
pious use of our trials and sufferings ! May earthly dis- 
appointment nourish heavenly hope, and temporal losses be 
supplied by eternal gain. 

Were all these things against Jacob ? No. Open to the 
passage, and behold and admire the divine Providence ! It 
was all a scheme of mercy and salvation. Oh, love the 
Lord, and trust Him at all times ; and thou shalt lack no- 
thing which is essential to thy glory and happiness. Let 
us devote ourselves wholly to God in a pious and an obedi- 
ent life. Let our confidence suppress every rising and 
anxious fear. Let our filial love overcome our despondency 
and doubt. Let our faith be so clear, strong, and steadfast, 
that it shall guide and support us in the most perplexed. 



1 26 FOURTH WEEK 

difficult, and trying scenes of life ; that it shall illume our 
way in the darkest dispensations of Providence. 

And to. quicken us to the performance of these duties, let 
us consider how miserable we make ourselves, when we 
neglect them ; when we forget, distrust, and disobey God. 
We are all liable to disappointments, and to various afflic- 
tions. Though we have health, it may be impaired. Dis- 
eases may fasten upon us, and break down our strength. 
Though we have much goods, they may, in numberless ways, 
be taken from us. Though we have friends, relatives, and 
children, we know that we are liable to be separated from 
them any moment. We very well know that we are exposed to 
these evils, and that more or less of them will be our portion, 
if we continue long in this probationary state. We know 
also that at such seasons, we shall need the aids, and 
consolations of religion. If we are believing and practical 
Christians, troubles will not come upon us unprepared ; and 
when they do come, they will not destroy our peace and 
comfort. 

I say not, u Shield me, Father, from distress," 

But, "Wake rny heart to truth and holiness. " 

I ask not that my earthly course may run 

Cloudless — but, humbly, " Let Thy will be done." 

The peace the world can give not nor destroy, 

The love which is the greatest, and the joy 

That's given to angels — to perceive and own 

That all Thy will is light and truth alone 

And bliss-producing ; — these, and such as these, 

Be mine ; — the vain world's fleeting vanities — 

Pomps, pleasures, riches, honours, glory, pride, 

(Idols by man's perverseness deified,) 

I envy not. — Do Thou my steps controul — 

Erect devotion's temple in my sou! ; 

And there, my God ! my King ! unrivalled sway : 

So let existence, like a sabbath day, 

Glide softly by ; and let that temple be 

A shrine devoted all to truth and Thee. 

PRAYER. 
Father, we thank Thee, and we take courage from the 
manifestations of Thy love. In the dread hoar of remorse 
and anguish, forsake us not, O God most merciful ; but speak 
unto us the blessed words of reconciliation and of peace. 
When our mind sickens at the remembrance of the past ; when 



TUESDAY EVENING 127 

we behold the breach that we have made which separateth 
between us and Thee ; when we feel that we have lost the 
privileges of sons, and hardly dare to become Thy servants ; 
in this dread hour, O God, forsake us not. When hope has 
deserted us, and even destroyed our faith, oh let love forsake 
us not ; let it bring a gentle calmness to the soul ; let it rouse 
up all that is holy that lay dormant within us ; let it draw us 
insensibly nearer Thee ; let it renew our blighted faith ; let it 
again kindle our humble confidence ; and then, aided by these 
divine energies, may it conduct us heavenward, and lead us, 
the children of penitence, before our Father's feet. And 
whether we mourn for the past, or seek guidance for the future ; 
whether we fancy ourselves strong, or feel our weakness ; 
whether we rejoice in the glorious liberty of the Sons of God, 
or find the thraldom of sin still powerful over us ; whether 
our course be easy, or burdened with afflictions and trials, O 
God, forsake us not ; for Thou only canst help us ; Thou only 
art the object of our hopes, the spring of our consolation. 
Unto Thee do we commit the keeping of our souls, as unto a 
faithful Creator, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

Psalm iv. 6. — There be many who sat/, 'Who will 

show us any good?' Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy 

countenance upon us. 

HOW full and complete is the answer contained in this 
invocation, to repinings at our lot ! Only let the light of the 
Lord's countenance be lifted up upon us, only let us see 
God in all things, and all things in God, and then we shall 
never be tempted to say, Who will show us any good \ 
Life will be full of good ; blessings will glitter out from 
the recesses and bye paths of our condition, which before 
lay hidden in shadow ; and our contentment, submission, 
and cheerfulness will be the practical answer to those who 
may persist in saying, Who will show us any good ? The 
prayer is not, Lord shew us, or give us <xood ; but, Lift 
up the light of Thy countenance upon us. The good already 
given, already existing, will then show itself, will glow all 



1-8 FOURTH WEEK 

around us under that copious and hallowed light; and our 
countenances will reflect the beams which shine from the 
countenance of God. 

Come then, ye doubtful and ye disconsolate, come and 
let us look upon the scene of life, as it lies spread out in the 
light of a present Deity. God is there, and in His light we 
shall see light. Let us look upon the human condition as a 
condition which He has appointed ; on human affections, as 
implanted by Him, and struggling after Him ; on human 
sorrows, as sent by Him that they may lead weak and wan- 
dering souls forward and up to Him ; and on this world of 
human creatures, with all their joys and grief, pursuits and 
interests, as passing away indeed, but passing away under His 
eye, that it may pass into a state more exalted and enduring. 
Let us look thus upon life and the world, and we shall not 
ask, Who will show us any good? but we shall exclaim t 
It is all good ! 

Let us look on the low places of poverty, if those low 
places have the light of God's countenance upon them, and 
we shall see industry bringing health and contentment ; and 
self denial educating the soul ; and privations borne with a 
patience which assures the mind at once of its own strength, 
and of a strength greater than its own. He shall see more 
thankfulness expressed for a little, than we often see else- 
where rendered for an over abundance ; and more aid im- 
parted from that little, than we often see elsewhere doled 
out from hoards. — And we call this good. 

Let us look into the chamber of sickness. Pain is there, 
but in the divine light we behold it engaged in a holy and 
blessed ministry, subduing and softening the spirit, and clear- 
ing away the films from the spirit's eyes. The body is 
emaciated, but the soul is enlarged. The corporeal powers 
and functions are disorganized ; but the mental powers are 
in orderly and harmonious action, as resting quietly upon 
God. And friendship and love are there, with more touch- 
ing loveliness than they ever wore in gayer scenes; watching 
night after night, yet feeling no want of sleep ; pouring out 
attentions like unvalued water, which yet could not be 
bought with gold ; hanging, as if with their own existence, 
on every variation of symptom or pulse in the beloved, and 



WEDNESDAY MORNING 129 

yet resigning the event to supreme Wisdom. These things 
are there, and are they not good ? 

And even the abode of death, why is it not dark with 
unbroken darkness ? Because the light of God's countenance 
is there, dispersing the darkness. Death is there ; but in 
the light of the loving God, what is death ? The end of toil, 
the completion of the appointed task, the winning of the 
race, the rest after the battle, the passage into eternal life. 
Death is there ; but so is the victory in which it is swallow- 
ed up. 

There is good where the light of God's countenance is not, 
and where God's word declares, as well as man's experience, 
that good cannot be. If we would find good, if we are sim- 
ply and honestly seeking it, there is one simple rule to guide 
us to the object of our searchings. We must look for the 
pure shinings of that light ; and, instead of idly and 
querulously asking, Who will show us any good 1 we must 
numbly ask that the light may be lifted up upon us; and 
then all will be enlightened, and all will be good. 

I'm but a stranger here, Heaven is my home : 
Earth has its deserts drear, Heaven is my home. 

Danger and sorrow stand 

Round me on ever) hand ; 
Heaven is my fatherland : — Heaven is my home. 

What though the tempests rage, Heaven is my home : 
Short is my pilgrimage : Heaven is my home. 

And time's wild wintry blast 

Soon will be overpast : 
I shall reach home at last : Heaven is my home. 

There at my Saviour's side, — Heaven is my home: 
May I be glorified ! — Heaven is my home. 

There with the good and blest, 

Those I love most and best, 
May I for ever rest ! Heaven is my home. 

Therefore I'll murmur not, Heaven is my home : 
Whate'er my earthly lot ; Heaven is my home : 

If only I may stand 

There at my Lord's right hand. 
Heaven is my fatherland : Heaven is my home. 

PRAYER. 

Merciful Father ! We have been ungrateful children to 
Thee. We have followed the desires of our own hearts,, 
without purifying them by Thy holy word. We have loved 



130 FOURTH WEEK 

the world, not because Thou wert in it, and it was filled with 
the proofs of Thy kindness, and the tokens of Thy wisdom ; 
but because of the wickedness that was in it, the lust of the 
llesh, and the pride of life. We have shut ourselves up in our 
own selfishness, and been enslaved to our own evil passions. 
O holy Father ! cast us not off, we entreat Thee ; leave us 
not unto ourselves ; suffer us not to live without Thee in the 
world ; permit us not to lose the noble gifts that Thou offerest 
unto those that love Thee, nor the rich delight that is to be 
found in serving Thee. But draw us unto Thyself by the 
inspiration of Thy Spirit. Cleanse us from the defilements 
of our hearts by the lovely outpourings of Thy heavenly grace. 
Make Thyself known unto us, as indeed Thou art, Light, Life 
and Holiness ; Purity, Truth and Love ; our Creator, Redeemer 
and Sanctifier ; our Preserver, Friend and Father. Thou art 
indeed our Father. Who hath loved us as Thou hast ? Who 
would have borne from us what Thou hast endured ? Who else 
but Thou, would not have cast us off for our great unworthi- 
ness, and despised us for our sinful, weak and ignorant state ? 
But Thou art rich in long-suffering mercy ; Thou art full of 
the tenderest compassion ; Thou art kind even to the unthank- 
ful and the evil. Lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance 
upon us, and we shall be enlightened ; refresh us with the 
living waters of Thy truth, and we shall be purified. Make 
Thyself very nigh unto us, that we may feel Thy presence 
and Thy love. And in Thy good time, O Father, may we 
feel Thy presence more, and enjoy Thy love for ever, in the 
kingdom of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



WEDNESDAY EVENING. 

Mark xt. 11.— And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and 

into the temple : and ivhen he had looked round about upon 

all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto 

Bethany with the twelve. 

WHAT a moment was that, full of thoughts too great for 
utterance ! What a glance did Jesus give on the scene of 
his future sufferings ! 

The morning had seen him apparently in all the exulta- 
tion of approaching triumph ; the lowly Jesus, the carpenter's 



WEDNESDAY EVENING ]31 

son, had entered the proud capital of his nation as a con- 
queror ; he had, indeed, conquered all hearts which were not 
already enchained by sin and prejudice. The disciples began 
to praise God with a loud voice : they that went before, and 
they that followed, cried, "Hosanna ! " and all the city of 
Jerusalem was moved, when the multitude exclaimed, "This 
is Jesus, the prophet of Galilee ! " The Temple, too, was 
the scene of similar joy and excitement, though the Chief 
Priests and Scribes vainly attempted to check it. The blind 
and lame were brought to him in the holy place to be healed, 
and the glad voices of the children resounded through its 
magnificent porticoes, " Hosanna to the Son of David !" 

Yet Jesus had heard in this general rejoicing only the sad 
echoes of approaching lamentation. When he drew nigh to 
the city, now glorious and beautiful on its hills, with the 
Temple shining gorgeously before him, and its people pre- 
paring for their solemn festivity, he knew that ere long all 
would be levelled with the ground, and he wept over it. 

But now evening was come ; the hour of prayer had given 
a holy stillness to the scene, and from the Temple he looked 
round about upon all things. Within a few short days all 
would be changed. The voices of those that loved him 
would be silent ; only the cries of, " Away with him," would 
be heard ; and into this very temple would he be led in 
mock solemnity before the council of his enemies. Then the 
dark, dreadful scenes which would succeed must have risen 
up before him, perhaps for a time obscuring the glory that 
would follow. — But it is almost presumptuous even to at- 
tempt to realize what were then the Saviour's emotions. 

When he had seen all, the eventide being now come, he 
withdrew with the twelve to his peaceful home at Bethany, 
where were those who loved him, and whom he loved. There 
we may follow him in the sacred recesses of our hearts ; but 
what words could, without the aid of inspiration, venture to 
express what were the holy meditations of the Son of God ? 

Go to dark Gethsemane, 

Ye that feel the tempter's power : 
Your Redeemer's conflict see ; 

Watch with him one bitter hour : 
Turn not from his griefs away ; 
Learn of Jesus Christ to pray. 



132 FOURTH WEEK 

Follow to the Judgment Hall ; 

View the Lord of life arraigned ; 
Oh the wormwood and the call ! 

Oh the pangs his soul sustained ! 
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss ; 
Learn of him to bear the cross. 

Calvary's mournful mountain climb ; 

There, submissive at his feet, 
Mark that miracle of time, 

Love's own sacrifice complete : 
" It is finished," hear him cry ; 
Learn of Jesus Christ to die. 

Early hasten to the tomb, 

Where they laid his breathless clay ! 

All is solitude and gloom ; 
Who hath taken him away ? 

Christ is ris'n ; he seeks the skies ! 

Thither learn of him to rise. 

PRAYER. 

Thou, O Father, drawest yet more nigh unto us, when we 
feel the emptiness of this world. In the time when all things 
go smoothly with us, and our occupations now in the accus- 
tomed channel, then we are too apt to forget Thee, who art 
the Author of our peace. But in the time of fierce conflict 
and of difficulty, then our weakness and our ignorance drive 
us unto Thee : and Thou, most compassionate One, dost not 
upbraid us for our unconcern, but givest us the direction which 
we need. Now, Father, we would look round upon all the 
events of the day past. Wherein we find that we have sinned, 
we crave Thy pardon. Wherein unknowingly we have fallen, 
guide and sustain us. Wherein our hearts have quailed in 
fear, now may we take calm confidence. Wherein we have 
rejoiced at appearances, may we rejoice with trembling, since 
we know not what these things mean. — And the cares, and 
the sorrows, and the toils, and the evils of the day are past : 
and Thou gatherest us together from our work-places in Thy 
vineyard, and givest us the sweets of family affection, and 
unitest us unto our dearest ones. Father ! with humble hope 
we look forward to that best of gatherings hereafter. There 
are many places here that are desolate : but there, no parting 
comes. Now we part from one another, and we go to rest. 
Be with us, Father ; and, whether on earth or in heaven, may 
we wake to do Thy will, even as the Saviour did. Amen. 



133 



THURSDAY MORNING. 

I Corinthians ii. 12. * * The Spirit which is from God. 

WHEN we find the flesh warring against the spirit ; when 
evil habit that we thought had long been broken, turbulently 
cries out for gratification ; when bitter disappointment and 
contempt a e poured upon us, and the arm cf flesh, on 
which we leaned more than we were aware, drops from 
under us ; when the world looks coldly upon us, and our 
sympathy, that we sent forth to find a resting place among 
the flood-waters of human passion, returns co our heart 
again, and finds no other ark of refuge ; when carelessness 
and spiritual coldness and sin and death are stealing their 
silent, marches upon us, and surprize us with their presence 
eyen in the midst of our holy things; — then, what can save 
us from despair but the promise that God will give His 
Holy Spirit to those who ask it ; what will keep the oil of 
trust still burning, flickering though it be, but the daily 
and hourly supplies of grace, that the Father freely grants 
unto His children! 

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upon us, that we should be called t]\e Sons cf God. It 
doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know that 
when he who is our life shall appear, we shall be like him, 
for we shall see him as he is." 

See with what delight christians can now go on their 
way rejoicing ! The young, who exult in their vigour, and 
set forth as strong men to run the race, feel a solemn joy 
when they say "Truly this life is sweet, and full of blissful 
hopes ; but that life is far sweeter, and its hopes can never 
fail." And they go to their duties with a determined prin- 
ciple that guides and directs their exuberant activity, and 
cools the fever of ungoverned impulse. 

Those in riper manhood, immersed in the occupations of 
life, sigh at the hopes of youth ; for once they induced in 
them, and they are gone. They count not on earthly good, 
for they have found it pass away. They centre not their 
heart's affections on human objects, for they have been cut 
off from around them. But thej remember heaven; and 

N 



134 FOURTH WEEK 

the sun breaks from behind the clouds, and tinges the dull 
objects of sense with glory ; and with a new life they ex- 
claim, (i Truly it is a sweet thing to live, and the path of 
duty is pleasant : but it is the sun of righteousness that 
cheers our course ; and there, there shall be light without 
a cloud." 

Some there are who are tottering on the brink of the tomb. 
One by one, their senses decay. Disease consumes the 
body, and a twilight gloom is creeping over their minds. 
We say, "Here is the wreck of human nature." Nay, here 
is its greatest glory. Speak to them of heaven ; and the 
vacant countenance is lighted up with angelic radiance; 
the hands are lifted in devout thankfulness and fervent 
prayer ; and they know that when the earthly house of this 
tabernacle is dissolved, they have a house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens. 

These are "the things that are freely given to us of God." 

Sorrow and darkness fled away, 
And I beheld eternal day ! 

No night was ever tin re ; — 
None feebly drew the parting breath, 
Gained was the victory over death, 

And life was ever there. 

I felt ps ne'er I had before, 

I knew that I should sin no more; — 

And straight within my soul 
There was a calm and holy peace, 
A joy so true it ne'er could cease, 

A gentle, sweet controul. 

'I knew that I was with my God, * 

Yet feared I not His chastening rod, 

Fear dwelleth not with love j — 
I felt His presence ever nigh, 
'Twas bliss to live beneath His eye. 

I was in heaven above ! 

I was so filled with holy awe, 

I nothing heard and nothing saw ; — 

Yet every power and thought 
Was bent on that excess of light, 
Absorbed in firlness of delight, 

In Him whose face I sought. 



THURSDAY MORNING 135 

But then a mortal veil was thrown 
Upon me, and I was alone ! 

My course was still to run. 
I came from realms of endless day, 
To see the dim and troubled ray 

Of the earth's mid-day sun. 

But yet, methcuzht, a fairer glow 
Was shed on all things here below,— 

Light from above was given. 
My Father's love dispelled the gloom, 
And made the Valley of the Tomb 

Appear the Gate of Heaven. 

PRAYER. 

Most merciful and kind Father ! We thank Thee for the 
refreshing sleep whioh Thou hast given us. May our thoughts 
always tend towards Thee, looking to Thee as the giver of 
every good thing, and as our guardian and upholder in the 
time of temptation and of trouble, Let us not, O Father, 
be satisfied with ourselves ; but let each of us ask of Thee, 
" What lack I yet ? " May our souls be filled with a lively 
sense of those blessings w T hich Thou hast so abundantly poured 
down from heaven upon us. We know, O God, that Thine 
eye is always upon us, and yet we have dared to sin. Oh 
forgive whatever we have done amiss, and incline our hearts 
to better obedience. Keep our consciences tender, and ready 
to warn us of what is wrong. May we do nothing that we 
should be ashamed to own to Thee, or to our fellow men ; but 
go on steadily in the right way. Especially may we be watch- 
ful to discern the first signs of a sinful heart, and come back 
to Thee with quick repentance. Bless all that are dear unto 
us, and keep them in Thy holy paths. Hear us, we entreat 
Thee, through Jesus Christ, our ever blessed Redeemer. Amen. 



THURSDAY EVENING. 

John xiii. 31. — Then \for v, when he was gone out, Jesus 
said "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is 

glorified in him" 
THE great struggle was over ! The Son of Man had shown 
forth his Heavenly Father's glory by his whole life ; — he who 
had been called, by a voice from heaven, the beloved Son of 
God, had not been called so in vain, for by him the Spirit of 



136 FOURTH WEEK 

God had been manifested in the flesh. Long had he been 
contemplating the final trial of his filial obedience, and he 
had, as the time approached, steadfastly set his face to go up 
to Jerusalem ; — the death which he must accomplish at that 
city, had been befjre him on the Holy Mount, when he had 
a slight foretaste of his future glory to support and encourage 
him ; — the thought of his burial was awakened by the offer- 
ing of devoted and respectful love ; — and now, before the 
final consummation of his labours and sufferings, he was 
sharing, for the last time on earth, the holy paschal supper, 
with those who had been the chosen com pinions of his 
labours. They did not comprehend the thoughts and emo- 
tions which then filled his soul, yet they were faithful fol- 
lowers ; they were willing, though the flesh was often very 
weak, — all but one ! That one, less than any of the others, 
knew the mind that was in his Master ; yet on this occasion 
there was an awful intelligence between them. Judas was 
conscious that he was about to deliver up his Lord ; and he 
perceived that his Lord knew it. " Having received the sop, 
he straightway went out." 

Now our Saviour appears relieved of a heavy load, — the 
presence of a traitor ; — now the dreadful step was taken ; 
for Judas had gone forth to do his work, and he had desired 
him to do it quickly ; — now he had been glorified by his wil- 
ling obed ence, and God had been glorified by the devoted 
submission of him whom He had chosen to be the Saviour 
of men : and Jesus felt a firm confidence that since God was 
glorified by him, his seeming humiliation would be short ; 
and that God would straightway glorify him. After this 
critical moment, how freely did he pour forth his thoughts, 
and hopes, and consolations tohisdisciples; — howunrestrain- 
edly did he pray in their presence to his Heavenly Father ! 

Can we read such passages as these, and not rejoice that 
he who was to be our Exemplar, was a man of sorrows and 
of like passions with us, yet without sin ? Can we withhold 
from him our deep and tender sympathy, under trials which 
no one of us can be called on to bear in equal intensity! 
Can we do otherwise than love him, who thus gave himself 
for us that we may be cleansed from all iniquity ; and 
strive to show our love as he directed, by keeping his 
commandments! 



THURSDAY EVENING 1 37 

If love, the noblest, purest, best, — 

If truth, all other truths above, 
Will claim return from every breast, 

Oh ! surely Jesus claims our love. 

There's not a hope with comfort fraught. 

Triumphant over death and time, 
But Jesus mingles in that thought, 

Forerunner of our course sublime ! 

We see him in the daily round 

Of social duty, mild and meek; 
With him we tread the hallowed ground,, 

Communion with our God to seek. 

We see his gentle, pitying eye, 

When lowly want appeals for aid; 
We hear him in the frequent sigh, 

That mourns the waste which sin has made. 

We meet him at the lonely tomb ; 

We weep where Jesus wept before; 
And there, above the grave's dark gloom, 

We see him rise, and weep no more. 

PRAYER. 

Lord ! how greatly Thou hast glorified us, by making us 
disciples of Thy Son ! What high honour Thou hast bestowed 
on us, that Thou hast called us to love and follow Christ ! 
We take account of all the happiness and the greatness and 
the pomps of this life ; and we find that they are as chaff which 
the wind drive th away. We consider the sufferings of this 
present time ; and we find that they are not worthy to be 
compared with the glories that shall follow. We enter the 
narrow portal, and we see the cross and the thorny crown : 
but Thou hast shed over them a heavenly radiance, and we 
rejoice if we are counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's 
sake. — Father ! sanctify unto us our best thoughts, that they 
may become, not an unwonted feast, but even as oar daily 
bread. May w~e count it all joy, when we fall into divers trials ; 
and may they work in us patience ; and patience, experience ; 
and experience, hope; — a hope that maketh not ashamed: 
because Thy love, O Father, is shed abroad in our hearts 
through the Holy Spirit which Thou hast given to us. And 
may we be worthy of Thy Holy Spirit of discipline and sorrow. 
May we, in the days of peace and prosperity, live closely with 



U8 FOURTH WEEK 

Thee, and act as responsible for Thy talents : in order that when 
the night of sadness comes, we may be prepared to submit 
ourselves to the lessons of Thy love. Father ! we leave our 
lot with Thee : but oh ! may we be purified from sin. Leave 
us not unto ourselves, we pray Thee ; suffer us not to depart 
from the chamber of holy thought ; but in spirit may the 
Saviour be ever with us, and may his love warm our hearts 
into devout obedience. Thine may we be in life ; Thine in 
death ; Thine at the last great day, and for ever ; Thine, 
through the door of faith, which the good Shepherd hath 
opened to us in Thy name. Amen. 



FRIDAY MORNING, 

Luke xxn. 42. — Father, if Thou be willing, remove this 
cup from me ; nevertheless net my will, but Thine be done. 

OUR Saviour thus permits us, by his example, lo pray that 
the bitter cup may pass from us; — he did so in deep an- 
guish of soul, for he was enduring such intense suffering as, 
perhaps, no other human being has gone through ; and, 
being in an agony, he prayed yet more earnestly; and his 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the 
ground. Yet, while supplicating that the trial might be 
removed, he failed not to add, "Nevertheless, not my will 
but Thine be done." 

In that moment of deep gloom, our Saviour saw before 
him his own acute sufferings and death, — tie desertion of 
his chosen friends and their subsequent darkness of soul : yet 
could he have fully discerned beyond the cloud the glory 
that should follow ;— could he have had present to his mind 
the myriads that, through his sufferings, would be made 
partakers of that glory ; can we imagine that he would 
have offered the petition, "If Thou be willing, remove this 
cup from me!" But though the veil of Nature s weakness 
dimmed all but his approaching trials,nothingcouldseparate 
him from his love of his Father, and perfect confidence that 
His will is best ; — his strength was made perfect through 
weakness. 



FRIDAY MORNING 139 

The sons of men are often, like him who hath passed into 
the heavens before them, led through a gloomy valley to 
their eternal home. They groan, being heavily burdened 
with the weight of the flesh ; they weep at the tombs of 
their best-beloved friends ; they lament the misery and 
wickedness of their fellow-creatures ; they are sunk down in 
the dust by the abasing conviction of their own unworthiness. 
Yet, if their wills are entirely swallowed up in the will of 
Him whose will alone is guided by infinite love and wisdom, 
can they feel more (han the momentary gloom which was 
hallowed by him who was made perfect through suffering? 
The flesh is very weak, — it clogs our flight heavenward ; — 
yet it is a tabernacle built by Him who is a Spirit, — a 
shrine in which He has placed a portion of His own divinity ; 
and if the spirit is willing, and strives to unite itself to Him, 
it will find, that even this clay which seems to impede its 
flight may help it heavenward ; and it will at last discern 
that all is very good. We weep, and our Saviour wept, 
when those whom we most love depart ; but they are tears 
of bliss when we unite our wills with Gods will, for we 
know that His good time is best for us and for them ; and 
we thank Him for that love which has manifested as much 
when He takes, as when He gives. We grieve when we 
confine our view to the narrow span of time and space 
around us, and to our own imperfect notions of what is 
right and good: for we see around, evil which we cannot 
controul, misery which we cannot soothe : but we rejoice 
when we "take our stand in the divine nature," and see 
that all is infinite wisdom and mercy. And when we feel 
that we are utterly unworthy of the love of all, and a dark 
cloud hangs over our souls, let. us acquiesce, with thankful- 
ness, in a sorrow which our Father sees needful to subdue 
the pride of our hearts, and still say, "0 Father, not my 
will, but Thine be done." 

O glorious hour, when our wills shall be entirely swallowed 
up in Thine, O Father ! When faith shall have had its 
perfect work ! When we shall be one in Thee ! 

My God, my Father, while I stray 
Far from my home, in life's rou«h way, 
Oh teach me from my heart to say, 
Thy will be done. 



140 FOURTH WEEK 

Though dark my path and sad my lot, 
May I be still and murmur not. 
But breathe the prayer divinely taught, 
Thy will be done, 

What though in lonely grief I sigh 
For friends once loved no longer nigh, 
Submissive still I would reply. 
Thy will be done. 

If Thou shouldst call me to resign 
What most I prize, it ne'er was miDe, 
I only yield Thee what was Thine, 
Thy will be done. 

Controul my will from day to day : 
Blend it with Thine ; and take away 
All that now makes it hard to say 
Thy will be done. 

And when on earth I breathe no more 
The prayer, oft mixed with teais before, 
I'll sing upon a happier shore 
Thy will be done. 

PRAYER. 

Father ! we are very weak indeed, and in Thy will alone 
is strength. We are lost in the mazes of ignorance and folly, 
and in Thy will alone is wisdom. We are overwhelmed with 
the impurity of our spirits, and the sinfulness of our hearts, 
and the disobedience of our lives ; and Thy law is holy, Thy 
w T ill is truth and purity itself. Oh when shall we be conformed 
unto the image of Thy Son ? Shall we ever be delivered from 
the body of this death, which separates us from Thy holy love 
and presence ? Lord, Thou knowest. Open to our view the 
hidden recesses of our souls, that we may see what it is that 
is rebellious against Thy will. Shew unto us the plague of 
our own hearts. May we crucify every unholy desire, and 
every vain love ; may we cast out our bosom sins, whatever 
they be ; may we mortify our members which are of the earth, 
and bring our bodies under subjection to Thy law ; may we 
pull down every stronghold of pride, and lead our everv thought 
into the obedience of Christ. Father ! we do not desire that 
our own wills may be done. We know that they should not 
be. And if in our weakness and ignorance, we ask for it, 
withhold from us our entreaties. May Thy will alone be done ; 
by us and by all men ; in earth as in heaven ; now, as in the 
future days of Thy felt presence. May it be done cheerfully 



FRIDAY MORNING 141 

and lovingly ; thoughtfully and earnestly ; calmly, and with 
settled purpose ; in joy, in sorrow ; in health, in sickness ; in 
the usual concerns of life, and in the unwonted claims of duty ; 
in life, and in the near prospect ot eternity ; even as our Saviour 
said, ' Not our wills hut Thine he done ! ' ' Father, into Thy 
hands we commend our spirits. ' Amen. 



FRIDAY EVENING. 

John xi. 12. — Lord, if he sleep, he shall do wvlL 
[or, Lord, if he be laid to rest, he shall be saved.] 

WHEN the mind is exhausted with the efforts it has made 
to repel physical suffering ; when patience and supporting 
hope have been well nigh overcome by the protractedness 
of the struggle; when, in very weakness of the flesh, the 
spirit is giving w r ay to the powers of darkness, and faith 
sorrowfully prepares to take her flight, and love (unheeded 
in the mental gloom) is silently betaking herself to more 
congenial abodes: then "nature's sweet restorer, balmy 
sleep" falleth gently on the sufferer ; the kniUed brow and 
the clenched teeth are relaxed ; the deep furrows of anguish 
are filled up ; sweet dreams of rest and health hover around 
the mental vision ; and for a few hours (a as! how brief 
they seem,) all-conquering disease has himself been van- 
quished. 

With what ha-assing uncertainty do we ofttimes regard 
the future ! How dark the gloom that hangs over our most 
cherished prospects ! Sometimes we have to decide on what 
will affect the whole current cf our future lives, or the inter- 
ests of those most dear to us. All is confusion when we lie 
down on our beds at night. But we rise in the morning, 
calm and prepared for thought. Things which before 
appeared to us insuperable obstacles, now we smile at : 
points, which seemed so intricate that we could obtain no 
clue to a decision, now can be unravelled : and with con- 
fiding gratitude, we commit our cares to the keeping of our 
heaven h Father, who has awakened us to renewed proofs 
of His unceasing; love. 

In the night watches, the sweet lessons of consolation and 
trust are ofttimes read to us. Then the veil of sight, which 



142 FOURTH WEEK 

conceals God and spiritual things from our thoughts, is for 
a time lifted up ; and our dreams and sleep-wakings are of 
heavenly things. We crmmune in silent thought with the 
departed ; we feel our intimate relation with the ever-present 
Father ; we are with Jesus on the mountain solitude ; we 
are in the spirit-land, and, like Paul, are caught up into the 
heavens; and we join in the chorus of the angelic choir, 
"Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!" 

Nor are the visions of the night an idle dream. They are 
the realities by which, were our faith strong enough, we 
should daily and hourly live. 

"I slept, and dreamed that Life was Beauty. 
I woke, and found that Life was Duty. 
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie ? 
Toil on, sad heart, courageously : 
And thou shalt find thy dream to be 
A noonday light and truth to thee." 

In our most active states, we are constantly undergoing 
decay and renovation. And what is death, but a more ap- 
parent, a more sudden and complete change \ What is it, but 
a casting aside, at once, of all that is perishable; and the 
clothing of the soul in that body that shall be, which is 
raised in incorruption, in honour, and in power! The early 
disciples understood this well. They spoke of their first 
martyr as falling asleep in Jesus ; and they called the 
abodes of their dead cemeteries, or sleeping places. "Hence 
death is no longer the king of terrors, with uplifted hand 
ready to strike the trembling heart : but like an angel at 
the bed of a slumbering child, fanning it to sleep with a 
lilly plucked in paradise, and filing the soul with visions 
of heaven, by blending in brightness before its eyes the 
sweetest images of earthly beauty and affection." 

May it not be that death exercises the same holy and 
tranquilizing effects on the soul that sleep now does on our 
bodies? May it not be that, by the long slumber of the 
tomb, the spirits of the departed are freed from the harass- 
ments and pains of the earthly tabernacle ! 

They sleep in Jesus, and are blest ; 

How calm their slumbers are ! 
From suffering and from sin released 

And ireed from every care ! 



FRIDAY EVENING 143 

How is it that we dread for ourselves, and for the objects 
of our love, God's greatest blessings! How is it that we 
complain so rashlv when our Father shortens the day of toil 
and pain, and lengthens the night of holy rest ; while we 
scarcely grieve in the time of spiritual inactivity, when the 
hours of precious opportunity are lunningpast* and leaving 
a blank behind \ Weep not for those who, like the Redeemer, 
go to their grave bearing the cross of many sorrows: but 
weep for those who sleep on now and take their rest when 
the betrayer is at hand. That sleep is the foreshadowing 
of eternal death. 

Truly God giveth unto His beloved sleep. But Jesus, 
our divine Saviour, He hath awaked and received unto 
Himself. He is gone to prepare a place for us, that where 
he is, there we may be also. 

Interval of grateful shade, 
Welcome to my weary head ! 
Welcome slumbers to mine eyes, 
Tired with glaring vanities ! 

My great Master still allows 
Needful periods of repose ; 
By my heavenly Father blest, 
Thus I give my powers to rest. 

Heavenly Father ! gracious name ! 
Night and diy His love the same : 
Thou, my ever-bounteous God, 
Crown'st my days with various good. 

Thy kind eye, that cannot sleep, 
These defenceless hours shall keep : 
Blest vicissitude to me ! 
Day and night I'm still with Thee. 

What though downy slumbers flee, 
Strangers to my couch and me ! 
Sleepless, well I know to rest, 
Lodged within my Father's breast. 

While the empress of the night, 
Scatters mild her silver light ; 
While the vivid planets stray 
Various through their mystic way; 

While the stars unnumbered roll 
Round the ever-constant pole ; 
Far above the spangled skies, 
All my soul to God shall rise ; 



144 FOURTH WEEK 

'Midst the silence of the night, 
Mingling- with those angels bright, 
Whose harmonious voices raise 
Ceaseless love and ceaseless praise; 
Through the throng His gentle ear 
Shall my tuneless accents hear : 
From on high He doth impart 
Secret comfort to my heart. 

He, in these serenest hours, 
Guides my intellectual powers : 
And His fepirit doth diffuse. 
Sweeter far than midnight dews : 

Lifting; all my thoughts above 
On the wings of faith and love : 
Blest alternative to me, 
Thus to sleep, or wake, with Thee J 

What if death my sleep invade ! 
Should I be of death afraid ? 
Wl ilst encircled by Thine arm, 
Death may strike, but cannot harm. 

Visions brighter than tie morn 
Greet the deathless spirit born : 
See, the guardian-angel nigh 
"Waits to waft my soul on high ! 

See the flood of sacred light, 
Which no more shall yield to night! 
Transitory world, farewell ! 
God invites with him to dwell ! 

With Thy heavenly presence blest, 
Death is life, and labour rest ; 
Welcome sleep or death to me, 
Still secure, for still with Thee ! 

PRAYER. 

Father, Source of calm repose, our wearied spirits bless 
Thee for the curtain of darkness and the leave to rest. How 
sweet it is, when we feel burdened with the labours of the 
day, to know that night is coming ! Lord, may the night 
bring with it nothing but purity and peaceful trust. May 
our times of wakefulness be hallowed by the thought of Thy 
presence ; and may our times of sleep be guarded by Thee 
from evil imaginations. Lord, save us from all the powers of 
darkness : and may even the night be light about us, because 
of the glorious confidence of Thy love. We would not dread 
that sleep of death which Thou hast appointed for us before 



FRIDAY EVENING 145 

we enter on the endless day : but we dread the sleep of sin, 
when our consciences scarce warn us of ruin, and the holiest 
motives have no longer power over our wills. Lord, save us 
from this most terrible of deaths. Keep our hearts tender ; 
and withdraw not Thy Holy Spirit from us. Even if it be by 
bitter pangs of remorse and fearful woes, yet shew unto us the 
plague of our own hearts, and give us rest from sin. Father, 
our souls are wearied with conflict, as are our bodies with toil. 
Give us needful repose, we entreat Thee : and let Thy love 
watch over all dear unto us. And whether we wake in time 
or in eternity, may it be to serve Thee with a purer love, and 
a more hearty devotedness, as the disciples of our ever blessed 
Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



SATURDAY HOMING. 

Phil, hi. 13, 14. — Brethren, I count not myself to have 
apprehended ; but this one thing I do ; forgetting those 
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those 
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

WHERE is the moment for pausing ? At what hour may 
the child of God, having such a holy work to do, and such 
obstacles to hinder him, say to himself, It is enough, I will 
cease from my labour ? At what age may man, with his eye 
on his Master, and his hope on heaven, lay down the staff of 
his pilgrimage, and say, I have attained ; I have reached the 
stature of my Lord, and my soul may rest from toil ? 

Not while it is recorded that the prince of the Apostles, — 
the inspired, the indefatigable Paul, — felt himself at a distance 
from perfection, and feared to stop in his attainments. Not 
while man's life is likened in the gospel to a race ; for he 
that pauses must lose it. Not while it is called in scripture 
a warfare ; for he that lays down his arms, or sleeps upon his 
post, before the warfare is accomplished, suffers for infidelity 
or treason. Not while sin is in the world, and temptation 
abounds, and the love of many waxes cold. No : the pil- 
grimage of toil and duty must go on, while the heart throbs 
and the pulse beats, without intermission, without fainting, 

o 



146 FOCRTH WEEK 

steadily, resolutely. Through the desert it may be ; but God 
is there, giving water from the rock and meat from heaven ; 
and who, then, will faint at the prospect ? In perils and 
straights it may be ; but God is in the midst, with the 
cloudy pillar of His providence and grace ; and who, then, 
will shrink from the way ? Among enemies, in fearful and 
handed array, it may be ; but who will tremble at their 
power, that is protected by the shield of faith, and armed by 
the sword of the Spirit, and led toward the promised land by 
the captain of his salvation ? Let the believing pilgrim then 
go on ; without halting, without looking back, without dis- 
trust ; onward, onward, — till the way-worn feet stand on the 
borders of the Jordan, and the bright inheritance is seen at 
hand. Then, as it is written, "the feet of them that bear the 
ark shall stand still ;" then the children of God may rest 
from their watchings and toils ; and having past the dark 
river, in whose swelling waters the grace of God shall bear 
them up, they shall go, every one to the place prepared for 
him from the foundation of the vv orld. 

A charge to keep I have, 

A God to glorify ; 
A never-dying soul to save, 

And fit it for the sky ; 

To serve the present age, 

My calling to fulfil ; — 
Oh may it all my powers engage 

To do my Master's will. 

Help me to watch and pray, 

And on Thyself rely ; 
Assured, if I my trust betray, 

I shall for ever die. 

Arm me with jealous care, 

As in Thy sight to live ; 
And oh ! Thy servant, Lord, prepare 

A strict account to give. 

PRAYER. 

Father, all perfect, all holy, but all loving ! Once more 
we awake to life and duty : and the sorrowful struggles of 
our hearts must still go on. Thou hast once more called 
us to the strife of temptation, and to the eagerness of hope- 
ful interests, and to the gaining of fresh heights of holiness. 



SATURDAY MORNING 147 

Thou hast once more bid us accept the conditions of heaven- 
ly blessings. Lord, we feel sometimes weighed down with 
sadness : for even when we have taken confidence in the 
peace of trustful service, and have sealed our inheritance, the 
evil temptations of the past rise up and trouble us; and we 
flee from them, and reach forth unto those things that are 
before ; but Thou givest us to possess the sins of our youth. 
Father, we accept whatever discipline Thou appointest for 
us ; but oh ! in Thy mercy save us from the deeds of dark- 
ness, and the corruptions of our. former selves. Lord, we 
would be new creatures. We desire no partial enjoyment 
of our former unhallowed ways. Never suffer us to have 
peace in evil doing. Never allow us to rest on our oars in 
the dangerous calms of life. Oh create a clean heart, and 
renew a right spirit within us. Nearer and nearer still, 
O Father, may each day bring us to our home. In Thy 
felt presence may all the suggestions of evil be readily over- 
come. In Thy strength, may v/e find that we can do all 
that Thou commandest. And in Thy love, may we find 
the rich reward of all our strife and sorrow, and the peace- 
ful joy that seals our hope of heaven. Lead us, Father, 
thitherward ; and Thine shall be the praise for ever, 
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



SATURDAY EVENING. 

Acts I. 9. — A cloud received him out of their sight. 

WHAT a moment was that ! For a time the Apostles would 
be filled with astonishment and rapture ; their thoughts would 
be carried with Jesus in a sort of ecstacy ; but as they silently 
returned to their home, they would miss the sweetly-solemn 
tones of him to whom, but a few minutes before, they had 
reverently listened. He no longer was with them, — the guide, 
the friend, and the instructor ; and their mortal eyes would 
no more behold him. 

Have we ever felt the void when we have lost a friend ? 
Think, then, what it must have been to have lost Jesus ! 

Let us go with them to their 6t large upper room.'* Perhaps 
it was that into which Jesus had entered with his, " Peace be 



148 FOURTH WEEK 

unto you/' as they sat at meat. Perhaps the very chamber 
in which he ate the last supper with them. They would 
never see him there again ! Did they give themselves up to 
selfish grief, or did they strive to lose the sense of their be- 
reavement by unseasonable merriment? Did they make light 
of it, and go their way ! No ! In company with the women, 
and Mary the mother of Jesus, they continued, with one 
accord, in prayer and supplication. What a blessing it is 
when the bereaved know where to go ! Prayer was no 
novelty to them ! Their Lord had taught them how to 
pray ; and, when he was gone, they benefit by the lesson. 
And they continued " of one accord." They are separated 
from Jesus ; but are drawn more closely to one another. 
Prayer binds them together. A common object of attach- 
ment, Christ, unites them in fellowship ; and so they con- 
tinue till the day of Pentecost ; when, being of one accord 
in one place, the Spirit descends upon them ! And now 
the period of retirement and suspense is ended : ten days 
seclusion, passed in prayer, in meditation, and in the inter- 
change of brotherly affection, had done its work. The Spirit 
is poured upon their chastened minds. The Comforter, 
which their master had promised, brings his words to their 
remembrance. They are now with him more than ever. 
He is absent in body, yet they are present with their Lord. 
They are fully reconciled to his removal. Though now they 
saw him not, yet believing, they rejoiced with joy unspeak- 
able and full of glory. They would not, if they could, call 
Jesus back again to earth ; they rather longed to rejoin him 
in heaven. 

Have any been removed from us whom we have loved 
with a holy affection, less only than that which the disciples 
had for their Lord ? Has a cloud, perhaps to us a dark one, 
received them out of our sight ? May they so dwell with us 
in spirit ; — may they so draw us to them ; — and may our 
affections be raised from things beneath, to those above, 
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God ! 

The hour must come ! - the closest ties 
Which bind to earth Avill severed be ; 

To Thee, O God ! we lift our eyes, 
And seek our rest in heaven and Thee. 



SATURDAY EVENING 143 

The tears of nature, gracious Lord ! 

Thou wilt with pitying eye behold ; 
And faith in Thine eternal word 

Its heavenly prospects will unfold. 

The hour will come, when endless day 
Shall chase the darkness of the grave ; 

Jesus, who trod the gloomy way, 

Hath power from death itself to save. 

The hour will come, — the closest ties 
Which bound on earth shall be renewed; 

When all shall live that sanctifies ; 
And all that sullies be subdued. 

Then shal 1 we see the loved we leave ; 

Rejoin the friends who've gone before 
United bliss from Thee receive; 

And dwell with Jesus evermore. 

Oh may this cheering prospect guide 
In friendship's duties, friendship's joys; 

In faith and love our souls abide, 
And follow duty's sacred voice ! 

PRAYER. 

Now, O Father, Thou spreadest the curtain of rest over 
the worlds in which our bodies and our spirits dwell. 
Clouds and darkness are around Thy throne : but, blessed 
be Thy name, mercy and truth go before Thy face. Thy 
darkness is not the covering of gloom, but the curtain of 
mercy. Thy clouds are not laden with destructive storms, 
but are the tokens of Thy loving care. We dread not these 
clouds : but oh ! how dark are the clouds of sin and the 
mists of earth, that rise up between us and Thee ! Dear 
Father, even now, in the night watches, lift up the light of 
Thy countenance upon us, and give us a peaceful sense of 
Thy forgiveness and Thy loving care. And then we will 
not dread to enter the dark valley of the shadow of death : 
for Thou wilt be with us ; Thy rod and Thy staff will com- 
fort us. And oh ! unite us again to those beloved ones, 
who now behold the face of Thine eternal day ; and there 
may we be a happy family in heaven, without a wanderer 
lost. We offer these our prayers in the name of our ever 
blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen. 



150 



|||cHMi<>tts for §|§rt?(TtttCat §||c<<m0tis. 



IMITATION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

Revelations xxii. 17. — And the Spirit and the bride 
say, Come. And let him that hearelh say. Come, And 
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him 
take the ivater of life freely. 

ALL Christian people must come. They, indeed, that are 
in the state of sin, must not come so ; but yet they must 
come. First they must quit their state of death, and then 
partake of the bread of life* They that are at enmity with 
their neighbours, must come ; that is no excuse for their 
not coming ; only they must not bring their enmity along 
with them, but leave it, and then come. They that 
have variety of secular employments must come ; only they 
must leave their secular thoughts and affections behind them, 
and then come and converse with God. If any man be well 
grown in grace, he must needs come, because he is excel- 
lently disposed to so holy a feast ; but he that is but in the 
infancy of piety, had need to come, that so he may grow in 
grace. The strong must come, lest they become weak ; 
and the weak, that they may become strong. The sick 
must come to be cured, the healthful to be preserved. They 
that have leisure, must come, because they have no excuse ; 
they that have no leisure, must come hither, that by so 
excellent religion they may sanctify their business. The 
penitent sinners must come, that they may be justified ; 
and they that are justified, that they may be justified still. 
They that have fears and great reverence for these mysteries, 
and think no preparation to be sufficient, must receive, that 
they may learn how to receive the more worthily ; and they 
that have a less degree of reverence, must come often to 



lord's supper 151 

liave it heightened ; that, as those creatures that live 
amongst the snows of the mountains, turn white with their 
food and conversation with such perpetual whitenesses ; so 
our souls may be transformed into the similitude and union 
with Christ, by our perpetual feeding on him, and conver- 
sation, not only in his courts, but in his very heart, and 
most secret, affections, and incomparable purities. 

Oh here, if ever, God of love, 

Let strife and hatred cease ! 
And every heart harmonious move, 

And every thought be peao\ 

Not here, where met to think of him 

Whose latest thoughts were ours, 
Shall mortal passions come to dim 

The prayer devotion pours. 

No, gracious Master, not in vain 

Thy life of Jove hath been ; 
The peace thou gav'st may yet remain, 

Though thou no more art seen. 

'Thy kingdom come :' we watch, we wait 

To hear Thy cheering call ; 
When heaven shall ope its glorious gate, 

And God be all in all. 

PRAYER. 

Lord, how often Thou callest us to repent ! Thou art 
never tired of inviting us. Thou givest us every opportunity 
to turn to Thee and live. Thou shuttest us not out from 
Thy favour because of our great unworthiness and our 
frequent misdeeds. Thou takest no pleasure in the death 
of a sinner, nor is it Thy delight to punish. But Thou hast 
sent Thy Son Jesus to bid all the weary and the heavy laden 
ones to come to the gospel feast. — Father, we have tasted 
of this world's sweets, and we have found them bitterness. 
Now Thou hast roused within us a longing for righteousness, 
and a thirst for salvation. Satisfy, we entreat Thee, the 
craving of our souls. Let us drink of the living fountain, 
that we may thirst no more. Let us eat the bread of holi- 
ness, that we may not sin again. And Thine be the praise 
for ever, through our ever blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ. 

Amen. 



152 

MEDITATION AT THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

I Corinthians xi. 24. — This do in remembrance of me. 

AGAIN do I partake of this blessed feast of my Lord, which 
unites us with him, and brings him to us in his trials, his 
sufferings and his dying love. How beautiful is the thought, 
that he wished that men for whom he died, should, by this 
simple act, cherish his memory, not only as their benefactor, 
but as one who shared with them the feelings of friendship, 
as one who desired their love and sympathy ! It may be that 
when our Saviour first ordained this mode of remembering 
him, he thought only of his Apostles who had been the 
chosen companions of his ministry; but afterwards, when 
he was glorified, and had received into his heart's love not 
only the "lost sheep of the house of Israel,' ' but all the 
wandering ones, all the children of his Father, — then he 
desired that they too should have awakened towards him 
the tender feelings of social love, and therefore made an 
especial communication of his wishes to the last, but not 
least of the Apostles, who must have been peculiarly dear 
to him, as the sinner who, through him, had repented. 

How inspiring the thought, that I am now uniting with 
myriads of my fellow Christians in an act of love to that 
Saviour, through whom we have the greatest blessings we 
enjoy, — by whom we have access to the throne of grace, 
— who has revealed to us the Father of our spirits, and 
kindled in our souls that immortal flame which is to burn 
with a purer lustre in the presence of God, through the 
countless ages of eternity ! I eat of this bread, and drink of 
this wine, in remembrance of Jesus, of his body which was 
broken for us, of his blood which was shed for us. And 
what recollections arise to my mind of all he did and taught 
and suffered for us ! Each event of his life awakens within 
me new love and gratitude, — new conviction that he was 
indeed the beloved Son of God, — that it was he who was to 
call men from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, 
to give them the assurance of pardon and eternal life ; and I 
thank my God that He sent us such heavenly messages by 
so divine a messenger. But these memorials before me lead 
me peculiarly to dwell on this crowning act of love and 



lord's supper 153 

obedience, and on the scenes of tender friendship and of 
deep anguish which preceded it. Here I feel his presence 
near me ; and with his image, every blessing of his faith and 
hope rises brightly to view. Here He demands my deepest 
sympathy, my warmest love, my devoted obedience. Here 
would I resolve henceforth better to show my remembrance 
of him, by listening to his words, and obeying his com- 
mands ; — here would I lay aside all earnest desires, but that 
of sharing with him the presence of his Father and our 
Father. Oh may this blessed hour shed its influence over 
my future life, and may I go on my way rejoicing, with 
Jesus ever near me. 

According to thy gracious word, 

In meek humility, 
This will I do, ray dying Lord, 

I will remember thee. 

Thy body, broken for my sake, 

My bread from heaven shall be ; 
Thy testamental cup I take, 

And thus remember thee. 

Gethsemane can I forget ? 

Or there thy conflict see, 
Thine agony and bloody sweat, 

And not remember thee ? 

When to the cross I turn mine eyes, 

And rest on Calvary, 
O Lamb of God, our sacrifice ! — 

I must remember thee. 

Remember thee, and all thy pains, 

And all thy love to me ; 
Yea, while a breath, a pulse remains, 

Will I remember thee. 

And when these failing lips grow dumb, 

And mind and memory flee, 
When thou shalt in thy kingdom come, 

Jesus, remember me ! 

PRAYER. 

Lord ! Thou never forgettest us. Thou art mindful of 
Thy promises, while we think not of Thee. Thou prevent- 
est us by Thy grace, when we are nigh unto sin and 
destruction. We bless Thee that Thou hast thus far kept 



154 MEDITATION AFTER THE 

lis near Thee. Oh what a sweet thought it is to us, that so 
many are united with us around the table of Thy Son ! We 
thank Thee for the outward bond ; but far more for the One 
Spirit into which Thou baptizest us. Oh that we may re- 
member Thee in our daily life ! that Thy Son may be with 
us in our daily pilgrimage ! that Thy Spirit may be our 
guard in the daily trials of faith and duty ! Oh never suffer 
the spirit of sinful forgetfulness to usurp the throne of Thy 
loved sovereignty ; but by Thy warnings, by Thy chastise- 
ments, by Thy he ps, and by all Thy mercies, keep us in 
the knowledge of Thee, and in the remembrance of Thy Son. 

Amen. 



MEDITATION AFTER THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

I Corinthians xi. 26.— For as often as ye eat this bread, 
and drink this cup, ye do shew me Lord's death till he 

come. 

WE have now made an open acknowledgment of our be- 
lief in Christ. We have recognised his claims on our love 
and obedience. Is faith dead 1 Do we mean nothing by our 
professions? Has not each one here been communing with 
his own heart, and been silently resolving that the time past 
of his life shall have sufficed to have worked iniquitv \ We 
trust in the promises of mercy and forgiveness through Christ. 
Is this trust barren and unprofitable \ We believe that he 
whose death we are now commemorating, rose again ; — is 
that nothing to us ! Are we not sure that as he lives we 
shall live also ; and that, whether that future life is to be 
one of joy, or clouded by sorrow, depends on the way in 
which we have our conversation in the world? We may 
indeed have been eating to our own hurt. If, with all these 
solemn considerations before us, we are unaffected, cold, or 
indifferent as to our salvation, careless of God, and of our 
own souls, — we may be sure that our condition is a melan- 
choly one, and these neglected means of grace will rise as 
witnesses to condemn us. But let us examine ourselves. 
Surely our hearts must be now quickened by a love of Christ. 
Could we have walked with him, witnessed his deeds of 



lord's supper \55 

mercy, beheld his entire self-devotion, without being affect- 
ed ! Could we have sat round the paschal table, received 
from him the bread and wine which he had blessed, heard 
his warnings, partaken of his consolations, foreseen his 
danger, witnessed his agony, beheld his patience under 
cruel mockings and scourgings, looked on him as he hung 
on the cross, and yet not have been moved with virtuous 
emotions ? 

He now "is gone above the skies, 

Where our weak senses reach him not,— 

And earthly objects court our eyes, 

To thrust our Saviour from our thought." 

But, by this rite, we hold him dear in remembrance ; our 
memory is refreshed, our feelings are quickened. What a 
holy peace can he bestow on the contrite heart ! How calm 
the rest he offers to the humble and repentant ! How fear- 
ful, indeed, the doom of the daringly impenitent ! But how 
easy the yoke ! how light the burden, which those have to 
bear who follow him ! And then that peace and calm hope 
will be ours ; if we have loved him on earth, in heaven 
shall we behold him, when faith shall be lost in sight. 

From the table now retiring, 
Which for us the Lord hath spread, 

May our souls, refreshment finding, 
Grow in all things like their Head. 

His example by beholding, 

May our lives his image bear ; 
Him our Lord and Master calling, 

His commands may we revere. 

Love to God and man displaying, 

Walking steadfast in thy way, — 
Joy attend us in believing ! 

Peace from God through endless day ! 

PRAYER. 

Father ! We bless Thee for the privilege we have had 
in meeting around Thy Son's table. We thank Thee for 
all our opportunities of recalling the scenes of our Saviour's 
life and death, and of quickening our pure affections and 
heavenly hopes. They are indeed means of grace to us ! 
Lord, may we not be as those who do not thus taste of Thy 



156 MEDITATION FOR 

love. But let us shew them, we entreat Thee, by our 
greater earnestness and humility, that it has been good for 
us to be at Thy Son's table. May the death of Christ be 
so shewn forth in our life, that many may take knowledge 
of us that we have been with Jesus, and may thus be led to 
glorify Thee, our Father in Heaven. Thus work in us, we 
entreat Thee, that we may be blessings to those to whom 
Christ hath united us as brethren : and finally may we be 
joined as a holy brotherhood around Thy throne. Hear us, 
through Thy love in Jesus, Thy Son. Amen. 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 

Luke ii. J 3, 14.- — And suddenly there was with the angel 

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying. 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will 

toward men. 

HOW beautiful is this emblem of the interest of heaven in 
the affairs of earth ; what an expression of that love which 
binds the moral universe together, as attraction the material ! 

If " the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of 
God shouted for joy," at the creation, how much more should 
praise be given, that now the moral wreck and chaos were 
about to be restored to order, and men to become new 
creatures ! Or, if " there is joy in the presence of the angels 
of God over one sinner that repenteth,' , how much lovelier 
the jubilee when the Saviour was born, to call sinners to 
repentance, and reconcile the world to God ! How rap- 
turous must have been the thanksgivings to Him who is the 
original and uncreated Source of all good, mercy and truth; 
and who so loved the world, that He sent His Son to save it! 

The angels sang praises to God for the Messenger He was 
now sending to bless the world. Worship is one of the 
highest acts of man or angel ; and an intimation, as it were, 
is given here, that, under the new dispensation, idolatry- 
was to come to an end, and glory and honour supreme to 
be given to Him to whom alone they are due. Nor in vain. 
Earth is slowly preparing to echo back, one day, from all 
her green shores, and with the deep tone of her millions, 
the heavenly paean, — Glory to God in the highest ! 



CHRISTMAS DAY 157 

"And on earth peace." Jesus was to be the Prince of 
Peace. It was one of his loftiest titles. Peace on earth, 
which has, heretofore, been such a Golgotha, might seem 
Utopian indeed, unless we consider the power of him who 
came to reign in human hearts and lives, and to bring every 
thought into captivity to himself. Filled with peace him- 
self, he came to breathe it through all souls, quelling ambition, 
and anger, and revenge. He produces peace in the inner 
man, by harmonizing all the passions and appetites under 
the sway of conscience and reason, the voices of God ; peace 
in the world by the love of man to man, and of universal 
equity ; peace and reconciliation towards God, by the 
revelation of His mercy to the penitent offender, and of His 
wise purposes in our trials and sorrows. 

" Good will towards men." From God to man^ and from 
man to man. More than peace, there was to be benevolence, 
positive kindness, sympathy, and relief. Man was to mete 
out to others that love which God meted out to him. The 
Saviour went about doing good, and he calls all his followers 
to engage in the offices of philanthropy. His religion has 
been eminently a religion of benevolence, even in its past 
imperfect manifestations. It has founded hospitals and 
schools, and missions and ministries to the poor and lost. 
It has crossed the bounds of country and colour, and scat- 
tered the best gift of time and eternity over dark and 
oppressed lands. But the angelic triad, — Piety, Peace, and 
Benevolence, — has but just begun to take effect. What 
happiness and glory, then, may we not expect from its 
future and hastening consummation ! 

O lovely voices of the sky, 

That hymned the Saviour's birth ! 
Are ye not singing still on high, 
Ye that sang " Peace on earth V 9 
To us yet speak the strains 

Wherewith, in days gone by, 
Ye blessed the Syrian swains, 
O voices of the sky ! 

O clear and shining light, whose beams 

That hour heaven's glory shed 
Around the palms, and o'er the streams, 

And on the shepherds' head ! 
P 



158 CHRISTMAS DAY 

Be near through life and death,. 

As in that holiest night 
Of hope, and joy, and faith, 

O clear and shining light ! 

O star which led to him, whose love 

Brought hope and mercy free ! 
Where art thou ? Mid the host above 
May we still gaze on thee ? 

In heaven thou art not set; 

Thy rays earth might not dim ; 
Send them to guide us yet, 
O star which led to him ! 



PRAYER. 

Ever blessed Father ! In the darkness of our ignorance 
and sin, Thou hast sent the star of hope to lead us to our 
Saviour. Now we take courage, and join with all the 
voices of earth and heaven in praising Thee. Oh may we 
be transformed into the image of Thy Son. Give unto us 
the spirit of affection and devotedness. May we love Thee, 
our God, with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and 
strength. May we regard all men as Thy children and 
our brethren, and love our neighbour as ourselves. May 
•we be ever ready to rejoice with them that rejoice, and to 
weep with them that weep. May we be willing to bear 
one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 
While we endeavour to maintain religion's hallowed reign 
within our own hearts, may we strive to extend its power 
over the hearts and lives of the ignorant, the erring, and 
the sinful around us. O Father, crown with Thy blessing 
the labours of Thy servants, in all lands, in the removal of 
idolatry, war, slavery, intemperance, inchastity, and every 
other deadly sin ; and in the universal establishment and dif- 
fusion of light and holiness, justice, love, and peace. Unite 
families and nations together in the ties of brotherhood. 
May parents and children, brothers and sisters, (dwell 
together in the exercise of strong and holy affections, re- 
joicing in each other's welfare, and sharing each other's 
sorrow. May unity and concord be the joy of every" home 
and of every land. These blessings we implore as the 
followers of the Prince of Peace. Amen. 



159 
GOOD FRIDAY. 

John xtx. 30. — It is finished. 

THE great work of man's redemption was accomplished ; 
the Saviour of men had finished the work which was given 
him to do ! 

Holy men of old had desired to see this day, but were not 
able. Moses and the prophets had told of it, and had 
blended with their prophetic announcements of the Messiah's 
power and glory, words, to many hearts, perhaps even to 
their own, dark and mysterious, which declared his humilia- 
tion and death. Jesus had fulfilled, "in all the Scriptures, 
the things concerning himself:" — he knew that "the Christ 
must suffer, to enter into his glory." 

The beloved Son of God had delivered the whole message 
of his Father to mankind ; and as he had been sent into the 
world, even so had he also sent into the world them whom 
the Father had given him. He who was "the Way, the 
Truth, and the Life," had led them to the Father ; he had 
filled their once-beclouded souls with the clear and certain 
conviction, that he came forth from God, and had given 
them all the words of eternal life to carry to mankind. The 
message of love and mercy was completed. 

Ml his labours were accomplished. He had worked (he 
works of Him who sent him while it was day ; he had done 
not his own will, but the will of his Father ; he had shrunk 
from' no difficulty, avoided no peril ; he had not called 
legions of angels to his aid, though he knew that they 
would instantly have attended his summons ; but he had 
relied on the streng'h afforded by the consciousness of his 
Father's presence, and had lived after the power of an 
eternal life. The night had now come when all must be 
finished ; and he slept in death to awake in glory. 

His sufferings were over ! He had chosen a life of priva- 
tion and trial ; "houseless, sole, forlorn," he had not even 
where to lay his head ; the desert and the mountain had 
been his places of rest ; he had proved all that humanity 
most shrinks from ; his bodily sufferings, in themselves most 
.agonizing, had been increased tenfold by the mental distress 



160 MEDITATION FOR 

occasioned by the desertion of his followers, the wilful re- 
jection of the chosen people, the aggravating insults of his 
persecutors, and the knowledge of the calamities which their 
sins would bring on his beloved nation. He had prayed that 
the cup might pass from him : — it had not been removed, 
but he was strengthened to drink it. Can we stand by his 
cross, and look on him who was pierced, — can we behold suf- 
ferings, the mere contemplation of which drew from his holy 
brow large drops of mortal sweat like as of blood, — without 
admiring thankfulness that they were borne by a Son of 
Man with the meek prayer, " Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do !" — that by him suffering had been 
hallowed ; and that he has taught us that pain and sorrow are 
marks of the Father's love, since they were appointed for the 
best-beloved \ Can we withhold from him our warmest love 
and gratitude, in that he willingly endured suffering, shame, 
and death, that by his stripes we might be healed ; in that he, 
"the holy one and the just," laid down his life for the guilty 
and wandering, that he might bring them back to the ways 
of righteousness, and raise many sons to glory \ 

His Father did not forsake him in those hours of mortal 
anguish ; as He had borne witness to his filial obedience in 
life, so did He in death. The deep gloom of a supernatural 
darkness shrouded the struggles of expiring nature ; — the 
shivering of rocks, the quaking of the earth, and the rending 
of the veil of the Holy of Holies, announced the awful 
moment when all was finished. But Jesus conquered death ; 
soon was he to be "declared the Son of God with power by 
his resurrection from the dead," and exalted to the right 
hand of his Father's throne to dwell for evermore. 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Faint and bleeding, who is he ? 
By the cheek so pale and worn, 
By the crown of twisted thorn, 
By the side so deeply pierced, 
By the baffled, burning thirst, 
By the drooping, death-dewed brow, 
Son of man ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Dread and awful, who is he ? 
By the sun at noon-day pale, 
Shivering rocks, and rending veil, 



GOOD FRIDAY 161 

By earth that trembles at his doom, 
By the saints who burst their tomb, 
Low be tore thee, Lord, we bow ; 
Son of God ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Sad and dying, who is he ? 
By the last and bitter cry, 
The life breathed out in agony; 
By the lifeless body laid 
In the chamber of the dead ; 
Crucified ! we know thee now ; 
Son of man ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 

Bound upon the accursed tree, 
Dread and awful, who is he ? 
By the prayer for them that slew, 
"Lord, they know not what they do ;" 
By the sealed and guarded cave ; 
By the spoiled and empty grave ; 
By that clear, immortal brow, 
Son of God ! 'tis thou ! 'tis thou ! 

PRAYER. 

Blessed be Thy name, O Thou God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who hast blessed us in all spiritual 
blessings in him. When stricken by the upbraiding of our 
consciences, and afraid of Thy presence, we feel the ines- 
timable privilege of possessing a Mediator, who can be 
touched with a feeling of our infirmities; and we cling, with 
heartfelt gratitude, to Thy offers of pardon, which he hath 
sealed to us on the cross. Herein indeed is love, not that 
we loved Thee, but that Thou didst love us, and didst send 
Thy Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Oh may we 
be the friends of him who shewed such love in dying for us, 
by laying down our lives daily for the welfare of our brethren. 
May we die to every sin, and every vain desire : and hence- 
forth devote ourselves wholly to Thy service arid glory. 
And as Christ was raised from the dead by Thy mighty 
power, so may Thy Spirit raise us to newness of life, that 
we may henceforwards run the heavenly race with full pur- 
pose of soul. Guide us, we entreat Thee ; guard and protect 
us ; strengthen and support us ; enlighten and teach us ; 
pardon and correct us ; and lead us, daily, hourly, nearer 
unto the eternal kingdom of Thy Son. Amen. 



162 
, EASTER SUNDAY. 

Kom. vi. 4. — That like as Christ was raised up from the 

dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 

walk in newness of life. 

WHEN thefirst Christians assembled together they welcomed 
each other with this salutation, — "The Lord is risen, he is 
risen indeed !" He has become the first fruits of them that 
sleep ; he, first of all the sons of Adam, has conquered death, 
and inherited the promised blessing of eternal life. Can it 
be any matter of astonishment that those who were the 
witnesses of this mighty event, who knew that it set the 
seal «of certainty on their own glorious destiny, should 
make it the continual and earnest theme of their preaching , 
and writing 1 Is it not more a subject for wonder that so 
momentous an occurrence, that a day which is the birthday 
of the Christian's hope, should be passed over as it so often 
is, with but faint emotions of gratitude, with but feeble 
accents of praise 1 

But here the Apostle awakens in us, if possible, still 
higher thoughts • — he kindles in our souls the imaginings of 
the glory of Him who hath been, is, and is to come, of Him- 
self, alone ; — of Him who filleth immensity with His pre- 
sence, yet hath deigned to breathe into man the breath of 
life ; and then the Apostle tells us that this glory was exerted 
in raising to immortal life him who was the bright effulgence 
of eternal blessedness, — him who was called, by the Father 
of all, His well-beloved Son. These few words alone fill the 
soul with thoughts which strive to expand beyond the 
confines of this earthly tenement. 

Yet even this is not all ; the Apostle does not stop here. 
He has so often assured us, and proved by the clearest 
reasoning, that the resurrection of Christ, our elder Brother, 
is a pledge and promise of our own ; that the mention of 
the one recals, unbidden, the blessed hope of the other ; — 
here he adds another consideration. Our death unto sin and 
life unto holiness here below, should be in strict conformity 
with that death and resurrection of our Saviour which is the 
pledge of our own. We are spiritually baptized unto his 
death, we must even be thus buried with him, "that like 
as he was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, 



EASTER SUNDAY 163 

even so we also should walk in newness of life." And if our 
walking in newness of life can, in any manner, be compared 
to the resurrection of our Saviour, what an idea does it give 
us of the greatness, the surpassing importance of the change ! 
His body had lost all consciousness : in the grave there is no 
remembrance. We are dead in trespasses and sins ; we live 
not, for life is to be with God, and we have alienated our- 
selves from Him by wicked works. To these we must die, 
before we can live. But the early morning ray shone upon 
him from his Father's glory, and he rose to inherit it : — 
the emanations from that glory, reflected from our Saviour, 
fall on our souls to awaken us to walk in that newness of 
life which is a foretaste of eternity. 

Shall such a summons be sent to us in vain 1 Shall such 
light find no entrance into our souls! Shall the stone be 
rolled away, and we remain in the tomb! 

Christ, the Lord, is risen to-day, 
Sons of men and angels say ! 
Raise your songs and triumphs high : 
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply ! 

Love's redeeming work is done ; 
Fought the fight, the battle won : 
Lo ! our sun's eclipse is o'er ! 
Lo ! he sets in blood no more ! 

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal ; 
Christ hath burst the gates of hell : 
Death in vain forbids his rise ; 
Christ hath opened Paradise. 

Lives again our glorious king : 
Where, O death, is now thy sting? 
Made like him, like him we rise ; 
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies ! 

Glorious bond of earth and heaven ! 
Praise to thee by both be given ! 
Thee Ave greet triumphant now : 
Hail ! the resurrection, thou ! 

HYMN OF PRAISE. 

Praise ye the Lord ! Praise, O ye servants cf the Lord, 
Praise the name of the Lord. 

Whilst we live will we praise thee, Lord : we will 
sing praises unto our God while we have any being. — When 



164 MEDITATION FOR 

we awake in the morning refreshed with sleep ; when we 
behold the goodly light of the sun, and go forth to perform 
the duties, and to enjoy the comforts of the day : our voice 
of thanksgiving shalt Thou hear in the morning, Lord. — 
When Thou makest darkness and it is night : when we lie 
down on our bed in peace ; then will we call to mind the 
blessings of the day, and praise Thee our God, who hast 
provided sleep for man. — When all nature smiles around 
us ; when the earth is covered with verdure, and the trees 
with blossoms ; when the birds warble their notes in Thy 
praise, and innumerable creatures exult in Thy goodness ; 
we also will join the chorus of nature, and testify that Thou 
art great and wise, that Thou art kind and faithful. — And 
in the barren months of winter, when the fields and the woods 
rejoice no longer, when the tuneful birds are silent, and many 
creatures are buried in forgetfulness ; then our souls shall not 
forget Thee, nor shall our lips be silent in Thy praise : for 
Thou crownest every season of the year with Thy goodness. 
— When Thou flllest our cups with the blessings of life, and 
the voice of health and gladness is heard in our dwellings ; 
when our path is pleasant, our prospects cheering, and our 
spirits lively ; then they shall be employed in showing forth 
Thy praises, our God ! for we dwell in the light of Thy 
countenance. — And when months of vanity and wearisome 
nights are appointed to us ; when darkness encompasses the 
path in which we go, and dejection hangs upon our minds ; 
when we can neither enjoy the blessings of life, nor indulge 
those lively affections towards Thee oui Maker which we 
wish to indulge ; even then will we praise Thee by sub- 
mission and resignation to Thy will. — Although the fig- 
tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine ; 
though the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields yield 
no meat ; though the flock shall be cut off from the fold, 
and there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet will we rejoice 
in the Lord, and joy in the God of our salvation. — Amidst 
all the changes of this mortal life, and amidst all the various 
dispensations of Thy providence ; in all things will we give 
thanks and praise Thy name. — Whilst we live will we 
praise the Lord ; and when we draw near to the gates of 
death ; when these hands, which have been lifted up to Thee, 
shall be motionless, and these tongues which have declared 



EASTER SUNDAY 165 

Thy praises shall be silent ; still will we praise Thee, our 
Heavenly Father ! in our thoughts ; and this shall be the 
grateful son g of our hearts: "Thanks be unto God who 
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. " — 
But the grave shall not put an end to our songs of thanks- 
giving ; we will sing praises unto our God while we have any 
being ; and blessed be Thy name, Thou fountain of life, 
our being will never cease. When our voice is entirely lost 
in death, and our mortal powers are no longer active ; then 
with more noble powers, and in heavenly strains, will we praise 
Thee, our God, and this shall be our grateful song : '* Thou 
didst lead us forth by the right way to Thy heavenly king- 
dom." — Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving 
and honour and power and might, be ascribed unto Thee our 
God for ever and ever. Amen and Amen. 



ASCENSION DAY. 

Luke xxiv. 51 — And it came to pass, while he blessed 
them, he was parted from them 9 and carried up into 

heaven. 

THEIR friend and Master had lived among them blessing 
them : and now he was taken from them, he departed bless- 
ing them. How holy, how soothing to their sorrowing 
spirits, was this last intercourse which the first disciples had 
with their Saviour on earth ! How unspeakably great was 
the blessing which then descended upon them ! Their souls 
must have been raised, in exalted contemplation, to the 
eternal world, which was now receiving one who had dwelt 
among them as a man of sorrows ; his dying words would 
give them the blissful assurance that where he was then 
going, his followers would be, for that he was preceding 
them to prepare a place for them ; and his last earthly words 
were a blessing. For a time the blank must have been great 
to them when they saw him no more,; yet was his very 
removal in wisdom and love. Their heavenly Father had 
received him to Himself, that by lifting him up He might 
draw their hearts to Him ; — He withdrew from them the 
light for a little while, that they might, after a season, enjoy 
it in brightness inexpressible. And how did they receive 
this last blessing of their Lord } They continued with one 



166 MEDITATION FOR 

accord in prayer to God, until He had revealed His will to 
them ; — thus they went forth, armed with a spirit of love and 
zeal, to work the work of their great Master ; and they were 
supported by the power of his resurrection and ascension to 
discharge the most difficult duties, without shrinking from 
danger or difficulty. 

Sometimes we too, his humble followers, who love a Lord 
we have not seen, are favoured with seasons of blessed inter- 
course with him and with our Heavenly Father. We appear 
to be in their immediate presence ; and, like St. Paul, hear 
and see things of which no human tongue can tell. It seems 
good for us to be there, and fain would we build tabernacles 
on the Holy Mount, for a bright cloud overshadows us, and 
the fashion of our souls has been so changed by prayer, that 
we have not feared to enter into it. But soon, while our 
holy delight is the greatest, when our Saviour seems coming 
to establish his kingdom in our souls, even then he is parted 
from us, and we are obliged to return to the things of earth 
again. Yet though we appear to have lost him entirely from 
our sight, he departed blessing, and to bless us ; and if we 
go on our way rejoicing, heavenly visitants will give us the 
assurance in our hearts, that in like manner as he departed, 
he will come again. 

As the Saviour was parted from his followers and friends, 
and was received by his Father into His more immediate pre- 
sence, so doth our God often now remove from among us 
those whom we love, — those who have been our guides and 
supporters in this earthly pilgrimage ; but He parts them 
from us while blessing us. They have been our comforters, 
they have led us in the road heavenward ; and, though now 
we see them no more, they continue to bless us, for their 
holy influence rests with us, and guides us in our earthly pil- 
grimage. God, too, is blessing us, perhaps we know not 
how ; but vve know that what now seemeth dark to us, will 
be bright in that world where sorrow and sighing will be 
done away. Let us then, when, like the early followers of 
Christ, a friend and master is taken from us, be continually 
in the Temple of God's presence, praising and blessing Him ; 
and, from that holy communion with the Father of Spirits, 
we shall find strength to go on our way even rejoicing. 



ASCENSION DAY 167 

See our risen Lord ascending 

To behold his Father's face ; 
All his earthly sorrows ending, 

Full of peace and love and grace; 
Hallelujah ! 

Ever blessed be the Lord ! 

Ye, his followers, upward gazing 
Till his brightness fills your sight, 

Upward still your spirits raising, 
Dwell with him in heavenly light; 

Hallelujah ! 
Joy, ye followers of the Lord ! 

Soon ye shall be with him ever ; 

Here his spirit is your guide; 
Nought your faith from him shall sever ; 

Nought the love of God shall hide. 
Hallelujah ! 

Blest the presence of the Lord. 

Christians! still with patience striving 

To obey the Lord ye love, 
Soon your glorious morn arriving, 

Ye shall dwell with him above. 
Hallelujah ! 

Christians, haste to meet your Lord ! 

PRAYER. 

Our Father, Thou hast taken Thy Son Jesus unto Thy- 
self ; and Thou hast bid us trust that there are many mansions 
prepared for all who love his appearing. Oh, may the hope 
of heaven encourage us to every duty, and strengthen us to 
meet every trial. May the light from that better country 
cheer all the dark scenes of time. May we see Thy hand in 
every event : set Thee, the Lord, always before us ; and be 
in Thy fear all our days. When we are allured by tempta- 
tion, may we remember that Thou, who art of purer eyes 
than to behold iniquity, and who art our judge, seest us. 
In the hours of solitude, may we consider that we are not 
alone ; that Thou, our Father and our God, art with us. 
Through every moment of this day, may Thy precepts guide 
us, Thy fear controul us, Thy love fill us with joy, and Thy 
providence be our refuge and our trust. Through every day 
may we be with Thee ; and when flesh and heart shall fail 
us, be Thou, God, the strength of our hearts ; and be our 



168 MEDITATION ON 

portion for ever in that world, where Thy presence will 
create fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore, to all who 
shall obtain Thy mercy unto eternal life, Thy gift in Christ 
Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



THE SAVIOUR'S PROMISE. 

Matthew xxviii. 20. — Lo I am with you alway, even 
unto the end of the world. 

HOW supporting and encouraging a promise to that little 
band of chosen followers, who had assembled, their number 
diminished by one sad defection, on the distant mountain 
which their Master had appointed them, to hear his parting 
injunctions ! These were not now his dying words, — he had 
passed from death unto life, and would for ever live in the 
glory of his Father. 

And is not this promise to us also, — to us who are some 
of those " other sheep'' who were not of his earthly fold ; — 
to us who have believed on the Saviour, through the word of 
his Apostles, and for whom he prayed that we might be one 
in him and in the Father ? A deep gulf of time is between us 
and the sacred moment, when, on the hallowed Mount, our 
beloved Master gave that promise to his disciples, and, with 
his now beatified body, sanctified the spot. Yet, through 
the abundant goodness of our Heavenly Father, who, in 
ways so marvelous, has preserved for us the record of that 
holy revelation, and made it now accessible to every heart, 
— we, of this remote clime, and in this distant period, hear 
the blessed words as if they were sounded in our ears, and 
see with the spiritual eye the benignant form of the Son of 
God as he uttered them, — that form so full of grace and 
truth, so meek and lowly, yet so great and glorious. 

Yes, beloved Saviour, often have I felt thy promise brought 
home to my heait, when, having entered into my closet and 
shut the door, I have prayed to my Father who is in secret, 
and felt that thou wast leading me to Him. But have I, 
when again in the world, — have I, as I ought, made Thee my 
guide to keep me from the evil that is in it ? How often 
have I neglected the proffered aid, and instead of "looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith/' have I followed 



THE SAVIOUR'S PROMISE 16$ 

the dictates of my own headstrong will I Then, my Saviour 
was not with me, for I had rejected him ! 

How near is my Saviour to me when I read the records of 
his life ; dwelling on each event with humble love, listening 
to his words of heavenly wisdom, imagination transports me 
to the spot, and I almost seem to listen to him on the Mount, 
by the Lake, in the Garden, — he appears to be nearer to me 
even than he was to his disciples, for they knew far less than 
we can now do of the deep purposes of his soul, his inward 
struggles, and his secret anguish. How privileged then are 
we, — am I ! But have I availed myself of this privilege as 
I ought ? Have I listened to his voice of tender correction, 
"ye know not what spirit ye are of,'* when ruffled by the 
little trials of daily intercourse ! Have I striven to imitate 
his meek endeavour, yet firm and unbending constancy, when 
opposed in efforts of usefulness, or treated with foigetfulness 
or fickleness by those whom I have made many sacrifices 
to serve ? Have 1 sunk under pain, sorrow, or anxiety, and 
forgotten the anguish he voluntarily endured, that "through, 
his stripes we might be healed ?" Oh may I have a more 
abiding memory of that blessed promise of my Saviour to 
be with us even to the end of the world ! 

Yet chiefly do I feel this promise true, — most intimately 
do I enjoy near communion with my beloved Lord, when 1 
unite with my fellow disciples in celebrating that holy rite, 
by which, through the lapse of ages, all who love him have 
obeyed his parting injunction, "this do in remembrance of 
me." glorious hour, when we shall break the spiritual 
bread and drink the "new wine" with him in his Father's 
kingdom I Gathered round his table with me at this feast 
of love, are the dear but absent ones, distant in body, present 
in spirit, — and nearer to me still the beloved departed, who 
have laid aside their mantle of clay, and whose spirits appear 
to be with me still in my pilgrimage, — and many spirits of 
the "just made perfect," whom we now seem to see and 
know better, because they are gone to the Father, This 
earthly love, mingling with that I bear to my Saviour, makes 
both more precious to me, and I look forward with more 
ardent hope to seeing him, with these loved ones, face to 
face, in those heavenly mansions in which, if his spiritual 
presence has been with us during our mortal career, we shall 
enjoy near intercourse with him for ever. 

a 



170 MEDITATION ON 

And is he with thee ? question well thy heart, 
If in his promise thou ha^t claimed thy part; — 
Ample thine heritage as theirs may be, 
Who held the legacy in trust for thee ; 
If in thy life he lives his history o'er, 
He blesses thee, as them he blest before. 

Watch ! on thy spirit shall arise the star, 
Bright as it shone on days and climes afar; — 
Listen ! while angel-voices, clear and sweet, 
" Glory to God, goodwill to men," repeat; 
Up, then, obedient to the guiding ray, 
Thy soul's best offerings at his feet to lay. 

Or, if on life's chafed ocean, waste and dark, 
Conflicting passions toss thy weary bark, — 
Then let the holy presence, brig tly still, 
Serenely walk the wild waves of thy will ; 
Secure thy course on this rough world shall be, 
As theirs who rode with him the midnight sea. 

Sits he not with thee, as with them of yore, 
Breaking the bread he broke for them before ? — 
Not now those twelve alone, who called him Lord, — ■ 
Witnessing spirits gather at his board ; 
Viewless they press, the awful feast to share ; — 
The dead, the absent, all are present there. 

But, say, hast thou denied him ? It may be 

In deeds or thoughts, not words ? — Then, turned on thee, 

See the deep pity of that mournful glance, 

The majesty throned on the brow's expanse ; — 

And the reproof which those mute lips express, 

Shall steep thee in remorseful bitterness. 

Or doth some guilty shame, some mighty woe, 
O'ershadow all above, and all below ; 
Till thou hast lost the will, perhaps the power, 
To seek his presence in that fearful hour? — 
Dark as that hour when night on noontide spread, 
And the earth shuddered with convulsive dread, — 

Hope on, hope on ! there still is light above ; 

Be meek in penitence, but strong in love ; 

Seek him, though long, perchance, in doubt and fear 

You wander, murmuring, " He is not here !" — 

" He is not here," a soothing voice replies ; 

"To yon calm heavens see him calmly rise V 



THE SAVIOUR'S PROMISE 171 

Follow with straining eyes his radiant waj, 
Thy sins, thy sorrows, shall he bear away ; 
Yet, is he with thee ? Rise, prepare thy breast 
As fits a mansion for such honoured guest ; 
When purged from earthly care and earthly ill, — 
When that is heaven — there he is with thee still I 

PRAYER. 

OCR Father ! Blessed art Thou for the promise that Thou 
wilt come, with Thy Son, and take up Thine abode in our 
hearts. For what purpose hast Thou given us life, and a 
knowledge of our dependance on Thee, but that we may live 
in Thy fear, and seek Thy blessing always 1 Give us grace, 
that we may feel ir^our inmost hearts that Thou art indeed 
our Father : and may this knowledge of our dependance 
upon Thee be to us ever a fortress of protection, into which 
we may escape in the hour of trial and despondency, and 
find peace and safety. Oh give us faith to believe ; and 
pardon our unbelief. Our minds assure us that everything 
around us is full of blessing. Open our eyes, even as Thou 
didst the eyes of the doubting prophet of old ; that we too 
may see Thy power and Thy goodness overshadowing and 
protecting us. Thy armies encamp about the habitations of 
the just. Thou sufferest no evil to come nigh their dwelling. 
Thy word is pledged to make all things work together for 
good unto them that love and fear Thee. Thy gifts are all 
divine. Treasures of love lie hidden in all our hearts. 
Thy wisdom and Thy goodness are manifest in the sacred 
relations of life. Oh make these joint relationships, means 
of grace and strength to each of us. May we all grow more 
and more in Thy likeness ; that our home may be as a fruit- 
ful garden, in which all virtues and all graces shall abound ; 
that meekness and gentleness, temperance and self-denial, 
kindness and love, may bring forth all their fruits amongst 
us, and ripen us all for heaven. Transform us daily more 
and more into the image of Christ ; and may he be with us 
to guide us to the better land. And through him we ascribe 
unto Thee, unceasing praises. Amen. 



172 
IN CASE OF SEVERE ILLNESS. 

Job xvii. I.— The graves are ready for me. 

HELP me, O my Father, to say from the heart ' Thy will 
be done.' Whether this sickness be unto death or not, still, 

God, let it be for Thy glory, and for my eternal good* 
May this disease of my body, make my soul to be in health 
and prosper. Though my outward man decay and perish, 
may my inward man be renewed day by day ; and never die, 
but live for ever. Hast Thou not reduced my strength to 
weakness, that I might lean upon Thee, and be strong in the 
Lord I Hast Thou not taken away the desire of mine eyes, 
that I might desire none but G(,d ? Hast Thou not taken 
away my appetites, that I might the more hunger and thirst 
after righteousness ! 

Yea, Lord, blind and ignorant as I am, I can see some of 
the wisdom and goodness of Thy present dealings with me. 
It is the hand of my Father that guides me in this valley of 
tears. It is good for me that I am thus afflicted. How often 
and how easily do my thoughts now rise to Thee ! Thy 
character, Thy providence, Thy word, Thy truth and grace 
coming by Jesus Christ — what interesting and delightful 
themes of meditation are they now to me ! 

Ev^ry increase of patience and fortitude, of light and of 
hope ; \ very mitigation of pain ; every sign of returning 
health ; all that nourishes, refreshes, and sustains me ; all 
remind me of Thy careful presence, and awaken my gratitude. 

Oh, let not the impressions made by sickness, be obliter- 
ated by returning health. Let not the thoughts and resolutions 
of adversity be forgotten, if the days of prosperity should 
again be mine. This affliction has already given me a 
disrelish for the vain pleasures of this world. Shouldst 
Thou restore me, let them not attract and charm me again. 

1 now delight to read Thy word, and to commune with Thee 
by prayer and meditation ; and shouldst Thou once more 
give me my former strength and vigour, give me a heart 
still to rejoice in Thy service. A sense of Thy presence now 
sustains and cheers my spirit ; let not Thy healing mercies, 
tempt me to forget Thee. 



SEVERE JLLNESS 173 

If many wearisome days and nights are appointed unto 
me, teach me to suffer Thy will without complaining. Oh^ 
that I might he patient, submissive, resigned ; casting my 
care upon Thee ; to Thee committing my cause ; ascribing 
righteousness to Thee my Maker, even in my greatest trials ; 
trusting in Thy defence ; hoping in Thy mercy. And oh, 
may I spend all the time of my sickness, which I can com- 
mand, in reviewing my life ; in examining myself by the 
light and precepts of Thy holy word ; in exercising hearty 
sorrow and true repentance for my sins ; in cherishing faith 
in the Saviour, and pious gratitude for Thy goodness and 
grace. 

And if this sickness is to be my last, oh may Thy Spirit 
so renew, influence, and sanctify me ; may my repentance 
be so sincere and thorough ; my faith so living and strong ; 
my love to mankind, to my blessed Saviour, and to Thee, so 
pure and affectionate, that Thy mercy in Christ may save 
my soul, and that death may be gain to me. 

When sorrow sinks my spirit down, 
And grief o'erwhelms my troubled mind, 

Faith cries, 'Look up to God alone, 
A refuge thou in Him shall find/ 

My soul obeys the sacred word, 

And casts her care upon the Lord. 

What though affliction's shades surround 

My path, yet God is wise and just; 
And oft my fainting soul hath found 

The promise true in which I trust: 
Shall I then doubt His sacred word? 
No ! let me humbly trust the Lord. 

*Tis in the hour of deep distress, 

That we religion's comfort prove ; 
The chastening hand we feel and bless 

Of God, that scourges us in love. 
Though nature sinks beneath the rod^ 
Yet faith reposes still in God. 

It is the Lord that strikes the blow ; 

Let every murmuring thought be still : 
Oft has He made my cup o'erflow, 

And shall I dare dispute His will ? 
For ever be the thought abhorred ! 
My soul, still wait thou on the Lord ! 



174 SEVERE ILLNESS 

Wait, till He bid thy sorrows cease, 

'Till He thy every care remove ; 
And though thy troubles fast increase, 

Thou need v st not doubt thy Fathers love : 
Though He delay, yet trust His word ; 
For true and faithful is the Lord. 

Yes, Israel's God was never known 

To leave His children in distress; 
Mercy and truth surround His throne, 

His judgments all are righteousness : 
Still shall my soul this truth accord ; 
I will for ever trust the Lord. 

PRAYER. 

God, by Thy inscrutable providence Thou hast turned 
my health into sickness ; my days of joy and comfort, into 
days of pain and languishing. Thou hast reduced my strength 
to weakness, and my flesh is wasting away by disease. 
Thou didst create, — Thine is the power to restore and heal 
me. If it please Thee, direct me to the use of such means 
as shall be effectual to my recovery. Yet not my will, but 
Thine, be done. O Father, assist me to bear patiently and 
profitably all the chastisements of Thy hand. Save me from 
murmuring and repming, from despondency and gloom. 
Comfort my troubled heart by a living faith in Thee and in 
Thy Son. Refresh my fainting spirit with heavenly hopes 
and prospects. Sanctify my trials and afflictions to me. 
So long as I am continued in this feeble and dying frame, 
dispose me to lean on Thee for support. Though my out- 
ward man perish, may my inward man be renewed day by 
clay ; though sickness press upon my body, may my soul be 
in health and prosper. Prepare me for all the sufferings I 
am yet to endure. Help me to exercise that repentance 
which is unto life ; that faith which shall give me the victory 
over death ; and oh ! inspire me with a hope that shall never 
make me ashamed ! While I live, be Thou my strength and 
confidence ; and when I die, receive my departing spirit ; 
through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen. 



175 



AFTER RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS. 

Psalm cxvi. 13. — / will take the cup of salvation, and 
call upon the name of the Lord. 

PERHAPS, before you were sick, you were very inattentive 
to the duties, and even to the subject of religion. You 
neglected your Bible. How many days it has lain by you 
untouched ! Anything served as an excuse from seeking to 
know the words of eternal life ; business, company; — nay, 
it may be, you were afraid to be seen with the Scriptures 
in your hands, though not ashamed to be seen with a news- 
paper, a novel, and even with works of an immoral tendency. 
Never treat that precious and sacred volume so again. 
You need its hopes and promises to support you. You 
need its counsels and instructions, from day to day. You 
need its renovating truths to sanctify you, and make you 
wise unto salvation. During your illness, you have seen 
how suited the gospel is to all your spiritual wants. Let 
it ever be your light and guide. Perhaps you seldom 
prayed. It may be, that you had never lifted up your 
voice and soul to God in fervent supplication, till he had 
laid his correcting hand upon you. And was it the pains 
and apprehensions of a sick bed that first persuaded you to 
seek God! Was it herk that you learnt to pray ! Oh, 
never forget those prayers. They are registered in Heaven. 
Let them be faithfully engraven on the tablets of your 
memory. IN ever let another day find you prayerless and 
undevout. 

Before you were visited with sickness, you were not con- 
stant in your attendance on public worship ; or if you were, 
you did not listen and profit, as you might have done. 
Very different in future should be your conduct. If you 
have in time past, never again spend the Lord's day in 
drowsiness, recreation, and sin. Improve now all the 
means and opportunities of grace afforded you, and no 
longer be unconcerned about your immortal soul. 

You have peculiar joys and pleasures, of which those who 
have never been sick can form no adequate perception. 
The pleasures of retrospection ; of comparing the gloomy 



176 MEDITATION AFTER 

past with the bright and cheerful present ; the remembrance 
of pains abated ; of weakness and languor, now changed 
to strength and vigour; of disease healed; o( severe re- 
medies successfully applied ; of danger escaped : of fears 
proved groundless ; of trembling hopes realized ; of number- 
less mercies mingled with all your trials; of prayers heard 
and answered. Yours is the joy of a captive ransomed ; of 
a prisoner released from his chains, darkness, and dungeon. 
Delightful beyond description are the sensations which one 
feels, when his limbs regain their activity and strength ; 
when the frame is clad anew with flesh, and the skin 
has the smoothness and freshness of a little child's. And 
then the pleasure which every new effort and motion gives ; 
the new beauty with which every object striking the eye 
seems to be clothed. The prospect too, that you are able 
to walk forth again • to feel that you are unconfined ; to 
drink in the pure morning air; to have the sun again 
salute you with his golden beams, and the healthful breeze 
playing delightfully around you ; to cast your eye once 
more over the fields, the orchards, the woodlands, the hills, 
and to the distant mountains that skirt your horizon; 
and then to receive the sympathies and warm congratula- 
tions of friends ; to return expressions of thankfulness to 
those who had watched around your sick bed; — oh, there 
are a thousaud sweet remembrances, a thousand sources of 
pleasure, known only to those who have been sick. 

Let it be your prayer and endeavour that your former 
sickness and your present health may be sanctified to you ; 
that they may be additional means to purity of heart, 
and righteousness of life. 

Father ! This gentle chastisement 

Falls kindly on my burdened soul ; 
I see its mereiful intent, 

To warn me back to Thy cmtroul ; 
And pray that while I kiss the rod, 
1 may find perfect peace with God. 

The errors of my heart I know ; 

I feel my deep infirmities ; 
For often virtuous feelings glow, 

And iioly purposes aris^ ; 
But like the morning clouds decay, 
As empty, ihough as fair, as they. 



RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS 177 

Forgive the weakness T deplore ; 

And let Thy grace abound in me, 
That [ may trust my heart no more, 

But wholly cast myself on Thee ! 
Oh ! let my Father's strength be mine, 
And my devoted life be Thine ! 

PRAYER. t 

Merciful Father ! With joy do 1 call upon my sou], 
and all that is within me, to bless Thy name. With joy do 
I again draw water from the wells of salvation. Thou hast 
been very merciful in Thy chastisements ; and now Thou 
hist given me the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi- 
ness. Father ! may this joy of rsnewed health in body, be 
a pledge of far greater joy, even of a soul renewed and 
sanctified. I bless Thee for the time of silent thought. Now 
Thou callest me to a day of active service. Let not the holy 
resolutions, and the near glimpses of heaven, which I had 
in my sickness, be lost upon me, now that I yet more need 
Thy help. It was easy to me to think of Thee, when there 
was no other source of comfort. Help me, Father, to re- 
member Thee, now in the days of trial, when the way of 
duty is often clouded, and the temptations of selfish expe- 
diency and pleasure are urgent. Save me, Father, from the 
great sin of neglecting Thy warnings, and deliberately 
choosing the w r ay of destruction, after Thou hast shewn me 
the path of life. Be Thou my support; and I fear not. 
Never cast me off, I entreat Thee ; but bring me safely to 
Thy eternal kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



IN CASE OF DEATH. 

I Thess. iv. 13. — / would not have you be ignorant, 

brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that ye sorrow 

not wen as others who have ?io hope. 

IF our brother sleep in Jesus, he shall do well. He resteth 
from the cares and the toils, the temptations and the snares, 
the disappointments and the anxieties, the afflictions and 
bereavements, which, in this scene of trial and imperfection. 



178 MEDITATION IN 

attend even those who are in circumstances of outward 
prosperity. Henceforth, no pain nor distress awaiteth him ; 
no racking disease shall wear him ; no failing powers shall 
dispirit him. No more shall he weep for the distresses of 
others which he cannot remove ; no more shall he grieve 
because his powers will not accomplish that which was in 
his heart for the welfare of his brethren. But we trust 
that he is gone to a better country ; where there shall be 
light without a cloud, and where sorrow and sighing shall 
for. ever flee away. He is gone to his home : the days of 
his pilgrimage and of his mourning have been ended : the 
gates of death have been opened to him : and while mortals 
cry, 'A man is dead,' angels shout, 'A child is born.' 

And would we, for our own sakes, have detained our 
brother in the land of thorns and clouds ? When God was 
willing to take the spirit unto Himself, could we have wished 
that it should tarry longer with us, in pain and weakness? 
Let not such be the selfishness of our hearts. Let us i rejoice 
for our brother deceased ; our loss is his infinite gain.' It 
was far better that he should depart and be with Christ ; 
and, although to stay here may have seemed more needful 
for us, it was only in appearance. It may be best for 
us also that he was taken. The light of his earthly course, 
may now aid in shewing us the path to glory. The lessons 
of his death may work life in us, This new earnest of the 
heavenly inheritance, may quicken us in our search after it. 
This new tie to earth that is broken, may become a new 
tie to bind us to the heavenly kingdom. 

There is a time for solemn mourning; and this is such a 
time. Even if the principles of the gospel are in some 
good measure the guide of our conduct and affections, yet 
the feelings of nature are the same, and it is right that we 
should give them place in our hearts. Let us not endeavour 
to smother them, or to check their expression. Let not the 
chilling customs of the world, or false views of delicacy, 
prevent us from dwelling much and seriously on the life and 
death of the departed, both in the communion of our own 
hearts, and in the family circle. Let us allow him to live 
still amongst us in the spirit, though the bodily presence is 
denied us. 



CASE OF DEATH 179 

If the sorrow of our hearts, and the communing of our 
souls, lead us, with increased earnestness, to se^k after the 
peace of Christ, it will indeed be well for us. Beauty will 
spring out of ashes, and li e out of the dust. In the midst 
of our affliction, we shall rejoice and leap for joy. And 
we shall find that we are not left comfortless, for the Holy 
Spirit of love, and patience, and trust, and faith, will come 
and take up its abode in our hearts. 

Thou art gone to the grave — but we will not deplore thee ; 

Though sorrow and darkness encompass the tomb ; 
The Saviour hath passed throu h its portals before thee, 

And the lamp of his love is thy guide through the gloom. 

Thou art gone to the grave — we no longer behold thee, 
Nor tredd the rough path of the world by thy side; 

But the v/ide arms of mercy are spread to enfold thee ; 
And sinners may hope, since the sinless hath died. 

Thou art gone to the grave — but 'twere wrong to deplore thee, 
When God was thy Father, thy Guardian, thy Guide; 

He gave thee, and took thee, and s«>on will restore thee, 
Where death hath no sling, since the Saviour hath died. 

PRAYER. 
Holy Father! Without Thy direction, nothing happeneth 
to us in life or in death. Out of the depths of affliction 
and sorrow, unto Thee do we lift up our souls ; for our 
help and our hope are in Thee alone. We bless Thee for 
the life Thou hast thus far given us: and now that Thou 
hast taken our loved one to Thyself, we pray that our hearts 
may go to Thee also. Give us grace so to follow the holy 
examples of those who have departed this life in Thy faith 
and fear, that at length we may, with them, be partakers 
of Thy heavenly kingdom. May we strive to redeem the 
time that has been lost ; and so number our davs, that we 
may apply our hearts unto true wisdom. May we spend 
the remainder of our days on earth, in the faithful discharge 
of our duty ; and live in such a manner as we shall wish to 
have done, when we come to die. May we glorify Thee 
on earth, and finish the work which Thou hast given us to 
do. And when we shall leave this world, may we rest in 
peace; and, being found acceptable in Thy sight, may we 
be received into Thy heavenly kingdom, with all dear unto 
us ; through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



180 
FOR THE LAST DAY IN THE YEAR. 

James iv. 14 — What is your life? 

THE winds of the dving vear are now siohing around us 
with their departing breath ; — they warn us, in accents of 
fearful solemnity, to look back, before the light of another 
vear shall open upon us, and see what improvement has 
been made of this. 

Let us come to the enquiry honestly; but how few can do 
'so without painful solicitude, for how little reason have we 
to think that improvement has been our one great object ! 
Time rolls on, and the world changes as it goes. But how 
many, as regards character, appear to be standing precisely 
where they stood a year ago, or even many years ago ! Just 
as good as they were, and no better; no more devout, 
charitable, patient, or forgiving ; no less worldly, selfish, 
irritable, and slothful. Change has passed over them ; trial 
has summoned them to thought ; Providence has warned 
them by a various discipline of gladness and grief; but 
there they stand, unaffected, and unimproved. They have 
basked in the light ; they have been refreshed with the dews 
of benignant and perpetual grace ; but there is visible no 
spiritual growth, there have ripened no fruits of holiness. 

Are we among those who have felt the worth of our souls, 
and have designed to walk in that path of duty which shall 
lead to life ? We have made a certain progress in the great 
work of preparation, — the acquiring a Christian character. 
What have we done respecting it during the past year! 
What additional advances have we made ! Are we better 
acquainted with religion? Is our life more under the con- 
troul of its laws? Are our dispositions more subjected to 
its spirit ! Do we feel and exhibit a more disinterested 
regard to the welfare of others ; and have we become more 
habitually alive to the presence and authority of God! 

These questions every religious man ought to be able to 
answer in the affirmative. If he cannot, what has he been 
doing? If no better man, no better Christian, than five 
years or one year ago, to what purpose, and in what way, 
has that time been spent ? 



CLOSE OF THE YEAR 181 

Happy\ thrice happy, is he who can look calmly on this 
solemn hour, and, while Time pauses on his way, can survey 
his character and history without a blush or a sigh ! Happy 
that religious man who knows that he is more holy since the 
year began, and can hear, without trembling, the winds of 
the messenger as they sweep by him, bearing up to God the 
unchanging register of the finished season ! He may hope 
to meet serenely the last hour of life. He may have peace, 
when his eyes shall close on the last sun of his earthly 
existence. But if, careless and unprofitable Christian ! your 
conscience reproach you for the misspent time and wasted 
opportunities of this one year ; if you look, with shame and 
agitation, at the empty record which it now gives in to 
judgment ; oh, how will you bear the arrival of that day, 
when all the books shall be opened, and time shall be no 
more \ Awake ! Arouse yourself ! Let it be enough that 
one barren year has past ! Rouse yourself to diligence and 
duty ! It may be that the fruitless tree will be spared one 
year longer. Awake ! Be sober, and watch unto prayer. 
Redeem the time that has been lostc Forget the things that 
are behind, and reach forth unto those that are before. 



The year hath passed away 

Swift as the gliding stream; 
And all its scenes appear 
Like relics of a dream ! 
Spent are its griefs, its joys are flown, 
And memory holds their trace alone. 



Frail fleeting life ! how soon 

May thy probation close, 

And they who prize thee most 

In the still grave repose ! 

Thy joys are grief, — they cannot last, 

And change comes o'er thy seasons fast. 



Then pause, my soul, and trace 

Time's progress and thine own ; 
Shall earth thy cares engage 

When better things are known ? 
Oh fix thy love on heavenly bliss ; 
All other good shall fail but this. 
R 



1-82 CLOSE OF THE YEAR 

Yes ! ]et thy zeal be strong 
's purpose to fulfil, 

with all thy power, 
Thy i ighteous Father's will : 
thy deeds be truly blest, 
ith conduct to endless rest. 

PRAYER. 

Hitherto Thou, O Father, hast blessed us. Through 
how many trials, through what varied difficulties, hast Thou 
sustained us ! What cause have we for gratitude, for mercies 
continued and renewed to us, and for the many unexpected 
blessings of the year past ! Father, Thou hast overwhelmed 
us with Thy favours. Thou hast given us as much joy as 
we would open our hearts to feel. Thou hast blessed us 
with the means of holiness and the hope of glory. — With 
humbling, contrite sorrow, we would call to mind the sins 
and errors of our hearts. Of Thine infinite mercy, pardon 
the neglects and transgressions of the past year, and of our 
past lives ; and give us grace to watch and strive against 
them for the time to come. We desire to begin the year 
with Thee. Oh, may it be spent faithfully in Thy fear. 
We would afresh commit ourselves to Thy care, and devote 
ourselves to Thy service. And may we be wiser and better, 
more useful to others, more faithful to Thee, more influenced 
by Thy Spirit, more devoted to Thy service, and more 
meet for that world where days and years shall be unknown, 
and time shall be no more. We ask all through Jesus 
Christ, our ever blessed Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 



"To sum up all in a word, wait patiently, trust humbly, 
depend wholly upon, seek solely to a God of light and love, 
of mercy and goodness, of glory and majesty, ever dwelling 
in the inmost depth and spirit of your soul. There you 
have all the secret, hidden, invisible Upholder of all the 
creation, whose blessed operation will always be found by a 
faithful, humble, loving, calm, patient introversion of your 
heart to Him, who has His hidden heaven within you, and 
which will open itself to you, as soon as your heart is left 
wholly to His eternal 5 ever-speaking word, and ever- sanctify- 
ing spirit within you." . Law. 



183 



THE LORD'S PRESENCE. 



Blest is Thy presence, Lord ! while, lowly bending, 
Abased by sin, we humbly seek Thy face ; 

On children of the dust Thy love descending 
Shall bid us rise, and fill us with Thy grace. 

And as the glorious sun, from dark clouds breaking 
Dispels the sorrowing dewclrops of the night; 

So in our hearts, Thy presence, Lord, awaking. 
Chases our fears-, and turns our gloom to light. 

Hallowed Thy presence, Lord ! before Thee kneeling, 
Pure thoughts and holy transports fill the soul; 

Thy peace within our troubled spirits stealing, 
Far off life's storms and ocean billows roll. 



Heavenly Thy presence, Lord ! while here before Thee 
In faith we see the mansions of the just, 

Enraptured join the angelic hosts to adore Thee, 
And make Thee all our joy, our hope, our trust. 

And let Thy blessed presence, Lord ! attend us, 
While struggling in the world with sin and care ! 

Oh may Thy everlasting shield defend us ! 

May all our hearts be Thine, our thoughts be prayer S 



MOONLIGHT. 

Softly I slumbered on my peaceful couch, 
And sweetest visions floated round my head : — 
I waked ; — and saw the Moon's full radiance 
Poured down on me in silent majesty 
From that bright sphere where is her blest abode. 
Yet I had tranquil slept, and seen her not ! 
And is there not a glowing halo shed 
Ever around us ? — Ray s of love divine ? 
We feel its blessed fruits, yet slumber on ! 
Oh may we wake to taste its blessedness ! 



184 

A DECEMBER SUNRISE. 

The curtains of the Morn were slow upraised, 
And their broad folds glowed with a crimson light. 
Forth from the radiant dwelling of the Sun 
Day's glories brake, and in them I beheld 
A distant glimpse of Heaven. But soon the Earth 
Spread mists and boding clouds before my sight, 
And all around was the dark Vale of Tears ! — 
When will the Day-spring rise of Endless Morn ? 



A CLOUDY SUNRISE. 

The morning dawned, but no bright glorious sun 
Kindled my waking soul to hope and joy. 
Dark clouds obscured the pure ethereal vault, 
And deadening mist the earth. I sighed, 
The gloom sank on my soul. Again I looked ; 
A roseate hue touched the o'erhanging clouds, 
They glowed with light approaching. Now behold, 
Midst floods of glory, still more glorious, 
The sun ariseth ! The weak eye in vain 
Attempts to gaze, in awe and wonder lost; 
Yet on some isles, floating in radiance on, 
Outskirts of heaven, it turns its longing look, 
And thoughts unearthly nil the ravished soul. 
My spirit ! haft thou never faithless sighed, 
When clouds o'erhung thy morn ? Has ne'er a doubt 
Darkened thy faith ? Behold, thy Father's love 
Shines brightly over all, illumines all 
With rays of faith and hope ; — then in thy soul 
Receive its beams of light ineffable ! 



THE EINAL REST. 

My spirit sighs to leave this vale of night, 

Where a dark mist shades off heaven's glorious blaze 
From our too feeble vision, and to gaze 

Upon the boundless source of endless light. — 

Freed from this mortal clay, when shall my sight 
Behold unmingied goodness ? Mercy's rays 
No longer dimly ; — the all -perfect ways 

Of Him who cannot err, supremely right ? 

But yet T sojourn here ! His will is best ! 
Be still, my soul ! check thy too fond desire ; 

Ere half tliy race is run, seek not for rest; 
Thy burden still to bear, faint not, nor tire. 

Joy that thou may'st now turn thy longing eyes 

To the eternal mansions of the skies. 

P. P. Carpenter: Oberlin Press, Warrington. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proc« 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Nov. 2005 

PreservafionTechnologi 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVAT 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



